


The Broken God

by KieraPSI



Series: Fire and Ice [1]
Category: The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Drama, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-29
Updated: 2013-05-01
Packaged: 2017-12-09 22:35:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 35
Words: 125,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/778751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KieraPSI/pseuds/KieraPSI
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The invasion of New York has been repelled, and Loki taken to Asgard for trial. S.H.I.E.L.D. turns to an empathic psychologist and suspected pyrokinetic to help them move forward. Could the multi-talented woman be just what the doctor ordered when Loki returns to Earth a broken god? Rated NC-17 for explicit sex and coarse language. Some same gender sex, mostly m/f. Previously published as the first half of 'Fire and Ice' on FF.net</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kara strode briskly from the university's library to her rental car. As usual, the visit to the research archives had been a waste of time. No one had gotten as far as she in identifying the genetic differences that contributed to paranormal abilities in human beings. Damn. Sometimes she hated being a trailblazer.

Her steps slowed as she noticed a compactly built, dangerous looking man standing by her car. His medium brown hair had a tendency to curl, and his dark blue eyes were sharp and cold. He was standing easily, his posture that of a seasoned martial artist - ready for anything. She stretched out her senses...he was anticipating, nothing more ominous than that. There was no sense of danger or overt aggression coming from him, just readiness. "Dr. Gunnarssen?" he questioned as she approached, and held up a government-type ID.

Kara's heart sank. The ID bore the logo of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. It had only been a matter of time before they investigated her; she knew that her activities would not go unnoticed forever. But she had hoped that their recent problems with extraterrestrial invaders would have put her case on the back burner. Apparently, no such luck. "What can I do for you," she asked, squinting to read the man's name, "Agent Barton?"

"We need you to come with us. All will be explained when we reach our destination."

"No, thank you, I have work to do. Have a nice day," she said, dodging around him.

He took a quick step back and to the side, cutting her off from her vehicle. "Sorry, ma'am. That was not a request."

She sighed. At least he was being polite about it. So far. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

Agent Barton had led her to a nondescript sedan, typical of government agencies. That car had taken them to a heliport and a sleek aircraft that looked like a combination of helicopter and jet. Not so typical. A ramp dropped down from the back of the craft, revealing a slim woman with a dark red bob. Another redhead, lovely. She'd have to keep her own temper in check as this woman looked like she meant business.

"Welcome aboard, Dr. Gunnarssen," the woman greeted with a barely discernible accent. "I'm Agent Romanov, I'll be your pilot."

"Romanov? Not Romanova?"

The agent shrugged. "Most Americans wouldn't understand the difference; it's easier to use what they expect to hear."

"Ah. I understand. I get tired of explaining that my name is double 's' and an 'en', rather than the more common 'son'. But I'm too stubborn to just let them be mistaken."

Agent Romanov chuckled briefly. "It's not worth my annoyance. Of course, I rarely use my own name, so it likely doesn't come up as much as it does for you."

"No doubt." Kara lapsed into silence as Agent Romanov walked to the front of the craft, pulled on a headset, and began moving levers and hitting buttons. She turned as Agent Barton touched her arm and pointed to a seat with a harness. Sitting, she followed his example and connected the straps. The vessel lifted swiftly and she was pressed hard into the padding as it shot forward. Long minutes passed as Kara tried to ignore Agent Barton's assessing stare. She could feel a muscle begin to tick in her jaw as the pressure of his attention began to get to her. "Please stop staring at me. It's very annoying." He didn't respond, but he did turn his eyes elsewhere and she sighed in relief.

... ...

Hawkeye studiously looked anywhere but at their target. If even half of the reports on her abilities were true, he didn't want to piss her off. Even if they weren't, and she was asked to help them just with therapy for the rash of PTSD cases resulting from the invasion, he didn't want to alienate her...thanks to that misbegotten excuse for a god, Loki, he was one of many who could use her services. He glanced up to the cockpit where Nat skillfully guided them towards the waiting Helicarrier. Her instruments would lock onto and decode the carrier's guidance signal, enabling them to find it while it was cloaked. Clint risked a peek back at the doctor. Her red hair was a myriad of shades, running from the dark burgundy that the Black Widow sported, all through the range of reds and gingers. It looked like a living flame. Wouldn't that be appropriate? Hmm, the woman had her hazel eyes squeezed tightly closed and was rubbing her forehead. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"What? No...I..." Dr. Gunnarssen's voice trailed off as she looked out the front of the Quinjet. "Why are we slowing, there's nothing out there...is there?" She was blinking, frowning, and then cocked her head in what he would have called a listening attitude if there had been anything to hear. "I could swear..." her voice trailed off again. She looked confused for a moment more and then her jaw dropped.

He turned his head to see what had surprised her. The Helicarrier's docking bay was opening and the interior was now visible to the naked eye. Hawkeye suppressed a grin. Looked like at least parts of the reports were accurate. "Felt the people, huh?" he asked.

The doctor frowned at him. "Whatever do you mean?" she asked, sounding as annoyed as she looked.

He let the grin emerge. "Not a thing, Doc."

... ...

Kara seethed as she was led down a complex system of corridors in the huge airship. She'd managed to betray herself, at least a bit. But that was all they were getting. There were a lot of sensitives out there. They made an abrupt turn into a conference room where a bald man of African ancestry stood, hands clasped behind his back, a black patch covering his left eye. "Dr. Gunnarssen," he began. "I'm Director Fury, thank you for consenting to visit us."

Another bit of politeness that she wasn't inclined to accept. "I wasn't aware that I was given an option to refuse."

Director Fury ignored her comment and gestured to a chair. "Please, have a seat. You've met Agents Barton and Romanov, I trust?" She nodded and he directed her attention to a man already seated at the table. "This is Dr. Banner; he'll be sitting in on this meeting."

She frowned at the scientist. Of course she had heard of him. Everyone in the scientific community was talking about his work with genetics and gamma radiation...particularly after the accident several years back. He sat there, smiling amiably, his deep brown hair tousled and his wire-rimmed glasses sliding down his nose. He looked every inch the absent minded professor. Nodding, she held out her hand to him. "Dr. Banner, a pleasure...even under the circumstances."

His smile widened as he took it. "Likewise. I enjoyed your paper on chromosomal irregularities. It was very insightful."

Fury cleared his throat. "Let's get down to business." Kara sighed and dropped into the indicated seat and folded her hands in her lap. She still was not picking up anything worthwhile from any of them. Someone had taught them shielding techniques and had taught them well. Oh, wait. She glanced down the table and saw a small device with a red LED. They were using some sort of energy disruption signal. The director followed her gaze and smiled grimly, his one eye narrowing. "So, Dr. Gunnarssen, we've been...aware of you for quite some time. Your recent work with veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has made a singular impression with the Division."

Wait...this wasn't about her abilities, it was about her therapy results? "I-I'm flattered that my work has been noticed."

"Noticed, discussed and speculated about. The suicide rate in your patients is dramatically lower than the average rate among highly at-risk individuals receiving such therapy. We're wondering if your unique abilities are responsible."

Damn. "I don't know what..."

"Don't go there, doctor. As an organization whose mission affects global security, we have access to your sealed juvenile records. Unfortunately, a lot of what is in those records is rumor, supposition, and a very few eye-witness but circumstantial reports. We need the facts. First, are you or are you not an empath?"

Kara sighed. "I am a highly sensitive empath, and yes, that helps immensely in my therapy sessions."

"Good, that wasn't so hard, now, was it?" She glowered at him. "Next, are you, or are you not a projective empath?" Kara compressed her lips and stared straight ahead. The director sighed. "Don't want to answer. Okay, I can understand your reluctance. How about this one? Are you, or are you not a pyrokinetic?"

... ...

"What would make you think any such thing?" Dr. Gunnarssen countered.

Fury bit back a grin. Now they were getting somewhere. "Doctor, in addition to your juvie files we have eyewitness reports from CDF firefighters. During wildfires in various parts of California over the past few years, backfires have mysteriously started, burned a sufficient amount of scrub and tall grasses to form a fuel-free border to prevent the spread of an encroaching wildfire to residential areas, and then have just as mysteriously been extinguished. There was no evidence of either an accelerant or any fire-extinguishing material at any of the scenes. More to the point, a woman meeting your description, and in two cases driving a rental car that had been rented in your name, was seen leaving four of the locations."

Dr. Gunnarssen swore softly. "And I thought I'd been so careful." She gave him a hard look. "So, why are you investigating me? Last I checked, firefighting wasn't a crime."

Fury allowed his smile to emerge. "You mistake us, doctor. This isn't an investigation. This is a recruitment."

 


	2. Chapter 2

Frustrated voices sounded from around the corner from her office. Dr. Gunnarssen waved her last patient off and turned to watch for the arrival of the next. Assuming Hawkeye didn't change his mind about coming based on the conversation he was having with the Black Widow.

"What do you mean he escaped?" Barton asked Romanov. "He was in frigging Asgard, awaiting judgment and sentencing. How the hell did he escape?"

Natasha's voice was every bit as aggravated as Clint's. "They don't know. He was standing before them, wearing the manacles and the muzzle and Odin had the tesseract and the scepter on the table in front of him as part of the evidence. Both of the artifacts started to glow and Loki simply disappeared."

"Shit, Nat. He set them all up. Bet the bastard is having a good laugh right about now."

"I'm not so certain. Thor said he looked petrified when the glowing began. Besides that, if he'd planned it, he'd have taken the tesseract and the scepter, don't you think?"

"That was all part of the act…oh, hi, Doc."

"Clint, Nat. Problems, I take it?" Kara greeted them.

"Yeah, that son of a bitch got away from the frigging Asgardians. Sorry, gotta cancel our appointment, I need to go help with the search," Hawkeye told her.

"Do you? Natasha, do they have any evidence that Loki is on Earth?" Kara asked.

The Black Widow smiled. "No, none whatsoever."

"Well then, no sense in you going off on a wild goose chase, Clint. Come on in and let's talk about this."

"Aw, hell. All right."

... ...

Clint threw himself down in the soft armchair that sat across from Dr. Gunnarssen's favorite spot. He frowned as he sank into the deep cushions and then reminded himself to be glad she didn't use a couch like some shrinks. He watched as the doctor sat and turned on her recorder. "Session 5 with Clint Barton," she said before turning to face him. "How are you feeling about the news of Loki's escape?" she asked.

He groaned and then relaxed as he felt her project calmness to him so that he could think straight. The woman didn't waste time, that was for sure. "Pissed. How else should I feel?"

"Anxious, uneasy…perhaps apprehensive?"

"You mean afraid. I'm not afraid of that bastard."

She smiled. "No, but you are afraid of hurting your friends, and that is something he forced you to do."

"Him and that frigging scepter."

"But he doesn't have the scepter, does he?"

"Ah, no. Odin still has it."

"Then he won't be able to take control of you again. Doesn't that even the playing field a bit? "

He grinned. "Yeah, it does at that. Add in the new arrowheads that Stark made with the stealth technology, and I have a shot at nailing that bastard's ass. He might still be able to hear it coming, but if he can't see it, it will be harder for him to catch."

"Just don't try long range shots. From what I understand about sounds, he might be able to pinpoint the trajectory if he hears it and knows where and how far away you are. A shorter shot would have a much better chance of beating his reaction time."

"Been studying, Doc?"

"A bit, yes. Oh, and Clint, promise me something, will you?"

He sighed. Kara Gunnarssen was big on promises. "What?"

"Make sure he's either actually doing something wrong or is about to seriously endanger innocents before you take that shot. This shouldn't be about revenge for what he did in the past. That isn't justice."

"You don't understand…"

"Don't I? Three men are dead who will never see true justice for their actions because I reacted out of fear and pain."

"Christ, Doc. That was different. Those men were…well, you were being…"

"Raped, Clint. I'm not squeamish about the word. And yes, that's true. But no one deserves to die that way."

"I'm not so sure," he grumbled. "Besides, you've never done anything like it since. You haven't even accidentally set a thing on fire, let alone a person, in over fifteen years."

"True. They were the first and, God willing, the last people I will ever use that…skill on."

"Give yourself a break, Doc. You were twelve. You couldn't be expected to control what you did."

"Give yourself a break, Clint. You were under the influence of an alien artifact. You could hardly be expected to have control of what you were doing."

He let his head drop back down on the chair. "Touché, Doc. Okay, I promise."

"Thank you."

... ...

Kara looked up from her notes as her door slid open, she wasn't expecting another patient today. "Nick, what brings you here?"

"You've heard?" the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. asked.

"About Loki? Yes, Clint and Natasha told me. Did you need something?"

Fury looked out her open door. "Thor, come in and meet Dr. Gunnarssen."

Kara watched the Norse god of Thunder walk into her office. He looked…defeated. Felt that way, too. She stood to greet the tall muscular blonde. "I'm glad to meet you," she began. "Though I do wish it were under happier circumstances."

He managed a small polite smile. "As do I, my lady…uh, doctor," he said. "I am told you may be able to help my brother, is this true?"

She looked sharply at Fury. Had he really told Thor that? "Well, I won't know that until I actually see him in person. I can promise you that I'll try."

"Nick Fury has tried to explain what it is you do that is so different from other psychologists, but I fail to understand it. I much doubt your mortal psychology will much impress Loki."

"Hmm. What I do is a form of mind healing, Thor. I use a combination of projective empathy and Reiki techniques. It transfers both energy and emotions to the patient. If there is physical damage, it will speed the natural healing. If the damage is strictly psychological, it will calm them so they can think clearly and they'll often solve their own problems without much in the way of standard therapy. It's been very effective on S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and even on Dr. Banner."

"Then perhaps you can help him. I-I love my brother, my lady. I know he has done horrible things, committed terrible wrongs, but I ache for him." The Asgardian sighed heavily. "For many years he was lied to, and I also treated him harshly. I cannot tell you how deeply I regret my actions."

"He chose how to react to what I'm sure he saw as a betrayal. It isn't all on you, or on anyone else involved. Remember that."

"Doctor," Fury began. "I've sent all of the research and the video we have of Loki to your inbox. I was hoping you could review it and make a preliminary diagnosis."

She smiled. "One a bit more accurate than Bruce's favorite assessment? What was it? Oh, yes…'That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him'."

"That would be helpful, yes."

"Sorry, Nick. I've been reviewing the files, but as I told Thor, I won't be able to tell much of anything until I see him in person. That's how my abilities work. I can't pick up on his energy from an image."

"We'll have to arrange some kind of security for you, he's too damn dangerous for you to be alone with him otherwise. Unless you can read through the safety material in the drop cage?"

"No, I can't. But I won't need security. You know I can put anyone on this boat on their knees in seconds."

"I beg your pardon, my lady. You cannot do so to me," Thor said.

"Ah, but I haven't tried. Care to join me in the gym for an experiment?"

"Will it help my brother?"

"It will tell us if it is safe for me to try and help your brother."

"Then, of course."

... ...

Fury watched as Kara directed Thor to a spot at one end of the gym. The rest of the team currently on board the Helicarrier were standing at the other end, well behind her. "Ready?" she asked.

Thor shrugged. "I still do not understand what it is you wish to do."

"I'm going to make you afraid…absolutely paralyzed with fear."

He chuckled. "I wish you much luck, I fear little." He was still grinning when his eyes widened in terror and he collapsed on the floor, panting. "What in the nine realms?" he yelled. "Make it stop, sweet gods, make it stop!"

Kara relaxed and Thor dropped down flat on his stomach, still gasping for breath. He looked up as the doctor approached and crouched down beside him. "Just breathe slowly, it will pass in a second," she told him. Fury frowned as he watched her lay both hands on the Asgardian's head. Thor's breathing calmed swiftly and he moved to his knees and stood, then held out a hand to gallantly assist Kara in rising. "How do you feel now?" she asked.

"I-I feel fine now. How did you do that?"

She shrugged. "I took a memory of a time I was feeling extreme terror, copied the emotion, amplified it, and sent it to you. Apparently Asgardians are every bit as susceptible to it as humans."

"That might not help us with Loki," Nick interjected. "He isn't Asgardian, Thor tells us he was an adopted Jötnar, a Frost Giant."

"Actually," Bruce Banner began from where he had been sitting quietly on a weight bench watching the proceedings. "That's not entirely true. When his disappearance was reported, I pulled our records and finished running the samples we'd taken. I'd set it all aside before since we didn't think he was our problem anymore. Fully half of Loki's DNA markers appear to be of the same race as Thor, the rest something else entirely. In the absence of other data, I have to assume the other fifty percent of the markers are Jötnar. It's kind of odd, though. The difference between the two races is so dramatic, I'm not sure how a hybrid was even possible."

... ...

"My brother is half Æsir?" Thor asked. Kara noted that the big blonde looked happy at the prospect.

"So it seems."

"Good. Then he is not the monster he calls himself."

Kara shook her head. "Why would he call himself a monster?"

Thor sighed. "The Jötnar…the Frost Giants have been our enemies for millennia. They are savage and ruthless, much like their frozen realm, Jötunheim. Loki's biological father, Laufey, was their king and the most dangerous of them all. The Jötnar are the creatures Asgardian mothers threaten their unruly children with."

"Oh, no. And he found out his heritage accidentally? That must have been a horrible shock. No wonder he's acting out."

"Acting out?" Nick Fury all but bellowed. "Doctor, Loki is directly responsible for nearly a hundred deaths, and indirectly responsible for another five hundred as well as several billion U.S. dollars in damages to Manhattan. I would call that something a bit more appalling than acting out."

"Calm down Nick, before I calm you down. You need to look at the scale. Whether he is Asgardian or not, Loki was raised Asgardian. He has a lifespan that makes our lives look like a flash in the pan. He is stronger than any non-augmented human, and is fairly indestructible. Did you never watch Star Trek?"

"Of course I did. But what in blazes does Star Trek have to do with it?"

"Remember 'The Squire of Gothos' episode where the powerful being called 'Trelane' was nothing but a naughty child?"

Kara smiled as Fury's jaw dropped in comprehension. "Is that how you see Loki?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. But that's a lesson I'm going to keep in mind if I meet him. You really must take the scale into consideration. We're talking about god-like beings with awful abilities. Yes, they should be more responsible with those abilities, but sometimes responsibility is a very hard lesson to learn. From what I know about Asgard, I'd equate Loki's actions with a series of schoolyard brawls. So, yes, he may just be acting out." She shrugged again. "That view won't make me popular with your team, Nick, but as a professional healer, I have to take it into consideration."

Fury started to speak but broke off as Hawkeye pushed past them and left the gym. "Damn it, doctor, I think unpopular is going to be an understatement."

"I'll go talk to him," Natasha offered.

"Thank you, Agent Romanov." Fury turned back to her and Kara sighed. "Hopefully that didn't just undo all of your work with him."

"I have a lot more faith in Clint Barton than you do. He'll be fine."

 


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, I've got the new sensor adjusted. Let me get out of here, and we're good to go."

Kara watched Tony Stark as he came out from behind his Mark XIV suit of armor. He'd given up on two prototypes today alone based on their testing. "Tony, how did the old suit stand up to outer space and reentry, yet have critical failures when I torch it?"

"Damned if I know. It's driving me nuts," Tony muttered as he moved behind his new Vice President of Development and rested his hands on her hips. His former assistant leaned back against him.

"There is no oxygen in space," Pepper Potts suggested.

"There was on reentry. Why wasn't he a Tony-sized fireball?" Kara frowned. "Did you change what you coated it with?"

"Nope. Not unless you count Leviathan slime as a coating."

The two redheads turned to stare at him. "Uh, Tony?" Kara began. "From the files I reviewed, those things were built to withstand space travel and travel through a wormhole, AND then fight a war. Did S.H.I.E.L.D. hold on to the remains? Any fluids that you went through could very well be what made the difference."

"Son of a bitch." Tony ran a hand through his dark hair as his eyes narrowed in thought. "Pepper, do you…"

"Yes, Fury did have it collected and we're storing it, actually. R&D has samples and has been documenting the properties of the various items pretty much nonstop."

"Hot damn, that's my girl!" he said. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, sir. Contacting R&D for status on fluid analysis. Displaying on-screen now."

... ...

Kara jumped as a screen descended from the ceiling between them. "Convenient. Can you build me a TV that does that?"

"You already have one in your suite here. That's what you miss when you sleep at your workplace all the time."

"Excuse me. I've been seeing five patients every day for almost two weeks straight. Then I have to work on my notes, and don't forget all of the reports Fury keeps asking me to review."

"Tsk, tsk…all work and no play makes Kara a dull doctor."

She shrugged. "I've been taking leisure time. Pepper, Natasha and I have been terrorizing Nordstrom's and Macy's, not to mention all of the haute couture shops. I swear, the employees see the three redheads coming and pull straws for who gets to avoid us by taking lunch."

"Their loss, not only do they miss out on the company of the three loveliest women on the planet, they also lose commissions."

Kara looked at Pepper. "What do you think he wants now?" The strawberry blonde shrugged.

"What I want," the 'he' in question interjected, "is to have you blast this puppy with everything you've got and see if my last adjustment did the trick. R&D is nowhere near being able to identify half of the elements in this fluid, let alone equate them with something we can reproduce here on earth. I think we're going to be on our own with this for a while yet."

"Okay, but we need more dust."

"Say, what?"

"Dust, Tony," Pepper told him. "Haven't you noticed how clean this room has become after the past three tests?"

"Uh, no." He turned around in a circle and then ran his finger over several surfaces. "Okay, why is that?"

"Fire needs oxygen and a flammable material. Your suit is not flammable, so there has to be something I can pull in to burn. I've been using dust and other particulate matter floating or sitting around the room," Kara explained.

... ...

"Huh. I'll be damned." He frowned thoughtfully. "Jarvis, can we shake out some of the air filters to make some dust?"

"Of course, Sir. Access is three yards to your left."

Tony watched as a panel folded up on the wall by the ventilation screen. "Excellent." Stepping over to it he grabbed the two filters that popped out and carried them over by the Mark XIV and shook them out. A flurry of dust filled the air, making him cough.

"That should do it," Kara told him.

"Damn good thing, any more and I'm going to start sneezing." He joined Pepper behind the blast screen and watched as Kara Gunnarssen took a few steps closer to his armor. "That still spooks me, her getting so close. Why doesn't it burn her?" Pepper sighed. "I know, I keep asking…but no one ever gives me a good answer."

"We ready?" Kara asked, holding up her hands.

"Let 'er rip, Doc."

They watched in awe as the air in front of and around the Mark XIV exploded in a brief but glorious fireball. The fire extinguished itself almost as quickly as it appeared. Kara sighed. "Not enough dust to make it last any longer, but it does look like it held up better this time."

Tony edged around the blast screen. "True, nowhere near as much scorching. Jarvis? What was the interior temp on this run?"

"Sixty-eight point nine degrees Celsius, Sir. A human would not have survived. However, there were no critical functional failures."

"Back to the drawing…"

"Sir, there is a disturbance in Central Park. I believe you might wish to investigate."

"Might I? What's going on?"

"A figure appeared out of nowhere. Park Enforcement Patrol has requested an ambulance. The figure is male, dressed in…"

"Green and Gold?" Tony finished for the AI.

"And black, Sir. The man is reported to be unconscious and bleeding profusely." The AI's voice followed them through the building as they ran for the launching area. "The patrol is speculating that it was a fetish encounter gone wrong as the figure is wearing manacles and a muzzle."

"Oh, he's a fetish encounter, all right. Damn." Tony stepped onto the track that would encase him in the Mark X armor that he'd held back from testing. "Pepper, can you coordinate with Fury? Doc, you're with me. Time to see what you can do for Thor's baby brother."

"It's Iron Man!" chorused from below as Tony brought them in for a gentle landing. He flipped back his face plate once they were on the ground.

"Yep, that's me. Folks, you need to clear the area for your own safety…damn it, Doc, what do you think you're doing?"

... ...

Kara spared him an irritated glance as she dropped to her knees by the prone figure. "Checking on the patient, obviously." She gasped at the amount of blood that soaked the leather and laid a hand on the man's neck to check his pulse. It was there, but barely discernible. There was blood at the edges of the muzzle and dripping from his nose and as she leaned close, she could hear an ominous gurgling sound. "Oh, crap. Tony, we've got to get this thing off," she told him, pulling ineffectually at the muzzle. "He's drowning in his own blood."

"Seriously, Kara, he's dangerous. I don't think…"

"Do you want to tell Thor that you let his brother die?"

"Shit. Okay."

Kara looked up to see the armor fold in on itself and all but disappear. "Neat. But why take it off if you think he's dangerous?"

"I need my bare hands to remove that thing, plus, kneeling in it isn't the most fun thing I've ever done."

She nodded and examined the rest of the patient's body. "It mostly appears to be blunt force trauma, except for this area in his abdomen. There's a lot of puncture damage there. Doesn't make sense." She ran her hands above the area, scanning the organs for damage. "What the hell?"

... ...

"What?" Tony asked as he pressed both thumbs on opposite sides of the muzzle. A red light blinked five times and the device separated into two pieces. He pulled it off and jumped back as blood poured out of it. "Shit, this is bad."

Dr. Gunnarssen grabbed Loki's right shoulder and tried to pull him on his side. "Help me move him, we've got to get the blood out of his throat," she ordered. They turned him fully on his side and Tony tried not to gag as Kara forced Loki's mouth open to let the blood drain to the ground. "He's bleeding internally. We really need a medical doctor, stat."

"Will I do?" a familiar voice asked.

"Good timing, Big Green." Tony told Banner as the man dropped down beside them.

"What a mess. My other couldn't even do this much damage to him, what the hell happened?"

"If we can save him, we'll ask," Kara muttered. "I'm not so sure that's going to be possible. Bruce, what do you know about an extra organ between the stomach and the gall bladder?"

"Uh, he's got one?"

"He did, it's a bit trashed right now." She finished swabbing out the inside of Loki's mouth with the tattered remnants of his cape. "Okay, we can lay him back down. He's still got blood in his lungs, and that will have to be dealt with, but his nose and throat seem pretty clear."

"Hmm, blunt force trauma, mostly."

"Yeah, she said that already, Green Man, you got anything new?"

... ...

"Give me a break, Stark, I just started looking."

Kara groaned and stopped moving her hands over Loki's prone form. "We need Thor. I keep getting pulled back to this mystery organ. He's leaking energy steadily. It's got to be the key."

"Ask and ye shall receive," Tony muttered. "Hey, Point Break! Surf on over here, now!"

"What?" Thor asked. "Oh, gods, brother."

Kara looked up at the Asgardian. "Thor, he has an organ right here, between what we call the gall bladder and the stomach, what is it and what does it do?"

"You mean the meng mein?"

"No, the meng mein is a chakra, what I'm talking about is a physical organ."

"As am I. It is an organ that pumps energy about the body."

Bruce looked up sharply. "You have it, too?"

"Indeed. Do Midgardians not have one?"

"Nope. Ladies and Gentlemen, I think we've just solved the mystery of why Asgardians live so much longer and pack so much more power than we mere humans," he told Stark and Kara.

"Can he live without it?" Kara asked.

"No, my lady. One of the few ways to kill us is to remove or destroy the meng mein or the brain itself. Even our hearts can be healed, given time."

"Damn. Then we've got a serious problem."


	4. Chapter 4

"I can't concentrate, there's too many people here." Kara Gunnarssen looked up as she heard a Quinjet come in for a landing. A leather-clad figure jumped off of the descending ramp before it had finished setting down and hurried over to them. "Clint, how long a trip to the Helicarrier or to the nearest base?"

Clint Barton tore his eyes away from the still figure lying on the ground in a widening pool of blood. "Half hour, give or take."

"He doesn't have a half hour. Tony, we can use your clean room."

"We can? Gee, Doc, nice of you to ask," Stark snarked.

"Get over yourself. Bruce, you have medical supplies in the tower, don't you?"

"Yes, the infirmary is fully stocked. You don't want to take him there?"

"No, his system is fully exposed with these injuries. They may be immune to most Earth-bugs but I don't want to risk it." Kara looked around. Clint was gesturing over two S.H.I.E.L.D. ground troopers who were carrying a stretcher. "Can Nat land that thing on your tower anywhere, Tony?" she asked with a nod to the Quinjet. "I'm assuming she's flying it."

"Yeah, I've got a helipad on the back face, opposite my launch area."

"Great. Let's get moving, people!"

She stood, keeping one hand on the downed man's abdomen as they lifted him. Jogging along beside him as he was carried to the Quinjet, she continued to feed him energy. Thor strode beside her. "My lady, can you save him?"

"Honestly, Thor, if we can't stop him from leaking energy, I don't know. I'm still scanning him and seriously hope something jumps out at me soon."

"Jumps out? What is in him that would jump out?"

Kara sighed. "It's a term…ah, never mind."

... ...

Tony Stark barked orders at Jarvis as he flew back to his tower, then grinned as Jarvis informed him that 'Miss Potts' had been listening in on his open communication and had already anticipated and implemented his instructions. He really needed to give her a higher title. He chuckled to himself. Or get his act together and propose. "Thanks, Jarvis. I'll thank Pepper when I arrive."

Pepper's voice came through the link. "You can thank me now. By the sounds of things you're going to be too busy to remember when you arrive."

"No joke. He looks bad, Pep. Seriously. If he were human I'd wonder not what truck, but how many trucks hit him. Since he's not, I don't even want to imagine what it took to do that much damage. If whatever it was gets to Earth, we're screwed."

"Thor taking it pretty hard?"

"Surfer boy is beside himself. Big Bad Norse god looks like he's going to cry."

"Tony, be nice. He loves his brother."

"I am being nice. I'm letting them get my clean room full of blood and guts, aren't I?" He frowned when she didn't respond. "Sorry, I'm rattled too, I guess." He touched down and stepped around the apparatus that would remove his armor. "Jarvis, I'm staying armored in case Reindeer Games comes to and decides to, uh, act out."

"Very good, Sir."

He flipped up his visor as he entered through the sliding door and made his way to the clean room. The Quinjet's engines were barely audible over the soundproofing once the doors had closed behind him. The reconstruction crew had done a good job. The elevator doors slid apart just as he ordered the clean room's doors to remain open. "This way, boys and girls," he called out. Pepper was standing inside the room, a worried frown on her face. "Thanks, beautiful," he said quietly and leaned over to give her a quick kiss. It was awkward in the armor, but he really needed to let her know how much he appreciated her.

Pepper blushed, whether it was at the public display of affection or the compliment, he wasn't sure. "You're welcome," she told him.

The troopers came in carrying the stretcher. Dr. Gunnarssen hovered on one side, her hand resting on Loki's abdomen. Thor was hanging over her shoulder. Bruce Banner was on the other side, holding an oxygen mask over their patient's nose and mouth. The broken god's condition must have deteriorated. "Damn. I can't believe it, but I'm actually feeling sorry for him."

"That's because you're a good man, Tony Stark," Pepper told him, reaching up to touch his cheek.

"Yeah, well, don't tell anybody. You'll ruin my rep." He looked back toward the door as Hawkeye and the Black Widow entered. Nat looked grim and Clint looked…conflicted? Weird. The troopers deposited Loki on the examination table and left, taking the bloody stretcher with them. "What next?" Tony asked the room in general.

Banner spoke up. "I'm going to try and stitch this…what did you call it?"

"Meng mein," Kara supplied.

"Right; together, and see if that helps."

"Sir?" Jarvis asked. "Dr. Miller and his trauma team have arrived from New York Presbyterian. Shall I direct them to your location?"

He glanced at Pepper who nodded. "Absolutely, put the elevator on express for them," he told the AI. "The head of NYP's trauma department, huh? You've got strings to pull I didn't know about?"

She smiled. "It pays to be nice to people at charity events."

... ...

Kara groaned as she felt the patient's energy drop even lower. She looked over at Thor speculatively. "Thor, how badly do you want to save your brother?"

"I would do most anything, should it not bring harm to another."

"Good, 'cause I have a crazy idea."

"Uh, Kara, is this as crazy as your experiments on my other?" Bruce asked.

"No, not that crazy. But you have to admit, that was successful."

"Sure, if you call trashing the gymnasium a success."

"But I brought you out of it, didn't I?" she asked. "Oh, never mind that now." Kara turned back to Thor. "Loki is not just losing blood, he's losing energy. I've been trying to push energy into him, but there isn't enough of what he needs in Earth's environment to do much good. The energy I'm reading from the meng mein is, well, unearthly. The only source I can really feel besides what little he still has is in you. I'd like to try to transfer a little of your energy into him in the hopes that it will jump start his ability to heal himself."

"I agree," Thor said almost before she'd finished talking.

"Crap, Doc, you could kill Thor, and for what? Him?" Clint muttered.

"I'm not going to kill Thor. Though it may hurt some, you'll have to lay down, Thor. Clint, I will stop before I do him any harm. I am not going to sacrifice the life of a healthy man to save one who may die anyway."

"Barton," Nat said as his face twisted and he opened his mouth to retort. "Let's go wait on the roof, you need to chill."

"Tony, we need another lab table, or an arm chair for Thor, he's definitely going to be woozy."

"Jarvis?"

"Yes, Sir. Lab table to your right, four yards."

"Got it." Kara looked up as Tony rolled the table over behind her. "Okay, Point Break, get your godly butt on the table. I'm going to lose the suit, I don't think he's going to be trying anything any time soon."

"On your back, please, Thor," Kara added as several strangers entered the room. "If he does, Tony, I'll put him under. It wouldn't take much at this point."

"Someone call for a trauma team?" a sharply dressed forty-something man asked.

... ...

Pepper walked over, her hands outstretched. "Roger! Thanks so much for coming. Your team can prep over there."

"No problem," Dr. Miller responded. His team moved over to the prep area and began opening bags of what looked to be operating room wear. "So, who is our…holy shit. Seriously, Pepper? Isn't that the bastard that trashed Manhattan? Why in hell do we want to save him?"

"Because, Dr. Feel Good," Tony interjected in a sarcastic tone. "He's got intel on something that could make that invasion look like a kiddy parade. If he doesn't make it, we're going to be sitting ducks."

"Okay, good enough. Let's go folks," Miller said to his team, holding out his arms so they could pull a gown over him. "What is she doing?" he asked, nodding towards Kara.

Pepper considered how to explain it. "Uh, Dr. Gunnarssen is a holistic energy specialist. The Asgardian physiology relies more on certain types of energy than they do on the physical body. If the energy isn't restored, nothing we can do for him surgically will make a difference."

"Gunnarssen? Kara Gunnarssen?" he asked.

Kara was holding one hand over Thor's abdomen and the other just over where Bruce was working on Loki's mystery organ with an intent look on her face and didn't answer. "Yes," Pepper told him. "She needs all her concentration," she added. "And this is Dr. Bruce Banner, he's also a bit busy…"

"No problem. I've heard of them both and their work. What should we focus on?"

Dr. Banner glanced up. "He's got at least one collapsed lung, looks like a great deal of blood in there. If you could aspirate and inflate it, that would be extremely helpful. After that, take a look at his skull. I'm concerned about fluid on the brain, you may need to go in and relieve the pressure if Kara's treatment doesn't have a strong enough effect soon enough. Everything else is broken bones. Other than moving any rib splinters away from organs, I don't think we should worry about them yet."

"Got it. You heard the man, team, let's get busy."

... ...

Thor clenched his teeth as he felt energy being pulled from his meng mein. It was the worst pain he'd ever felt, but if it would save his brother, he'd bear it. He looked over at Loki's battered face. "Fight my brother," he said. "Fight to live, I beg you." Loki's eyelids flickered, he could swear it. "I think," he began then broke off with a groan. "I think it's helping," he gasped.

Kara Gunnarssen looked at his face. "How much pain are you in?" she asked.

"Very little," he lied.

"Right. Little, my foot. I'm sorry, I didn't think it would be this bad."

"I do not care, my lady. Did you see? He moved, just a bit, but he moved."

"Whoa," Dr. Banner said. "This is amazing."

"What's happening?" Kara asked.

"The areas I already stitched…the edges seem to be knitting together and it's pushing out the stitches."

"Try holding the other pieces together with your hands, leave off trying to fix it, let's see if it will heal itself now."

"Got it."

Thor tried to sit up to see what was happening and slipped back down flat on the table. "My lady? Is it helping?"

She turned to him. "I think it is, we've got some hope now, at least."

"Thank the gods."

... ...

Tony frowned as he watched over the trauma surgeon's shoulder. Loki's mouth began to move, it looked as though the man was trying to speak. He edged in closer and bent to listen. The eyes fluttered open and fastened on his. "Stark?" he gasped.

"Yeah. You need to relax, let the doctors work."

"Cannot. Tell my…Thor. Cube and scepter…" he faded out, then took a rattling breath and began again. "Cannot be near each other. Or the gauntlet. Tell Odin. Enemy can open…gate with them." Loki's whole body shuddered. "Tell them, swear it."

"Fine, relax, get better, and you can tell them yourself."

"Dying. Swear it."

"I swear I'll tell them. And you aren't dying, not if we can help it." Reindeer Games had the nerve, and more to the point, the energy, to laugh. That was a good sign, wasn't it?

"Your pitiful doctors cannot save a dying god," Loki choked.

"Shut up, and rest. I'll pass on the message to Thor and Odin, okay?" Loki didn't respond, but his body relaxed. "Thor, did you hear that?" He looked over at the other lab table. Thor was unconscious. "Oh, shit. Uh, Kara?"

"He's fine. He finally passed out from the pain, but his energy is already starting to regenerate. You can come around here and push him out of the way, if you don't mind."

"No problem."

"Look at that, Kara. The damn thing is almost whole."

"I see it. My crazy idea wasn't so crazy, admit it."

"You were right. Again."


	5. Chapter 5

Everything hurt; everything. He'd assumed death would bring an end to all sensation, especially pain. Perhaps he wasn't yet dead?

His eyelids felt heavy. Before trying to open them he decided to get a sense of where he was and what might be around him. The surface he lay upon was soft and yielding. There was a warm weight resting on his bared chest and warm breaths puffed gently against his skin. Another person was breathing more heavily above him and to his left. Scents of vanilla and lavender drifted to his nostrils. He forced his eyes open; it was a monumental struggle. He was so damned tired.

"Brother?" Thor's voice asked. Loki was too tired to correct him. "Do you wake?"

He tried not to sigh. "Obviously."

"This is glad news…"

"Why do I have a woman lying on my chest?" he interrupted. It was a woman; her face was turned toward him. She had an untidy abundance of fire-hued hair, arched brows and full lips that curved down. "Hmm, if I must have a mortal use me as a pillow, at least she's an attractive one," he mused.

Thor chuckled. "That is Dr. Gunnarssen. She is a great healer and has saved your life. Poor woman was exhausted and passed out while monitoring your condition."

Loki couldn't argue with Thor's assessment of the woman's abilities. He doubted the Asgardian healers could have helped him. The Other had enjoyed piercing his meng mein repeatedly with a thin blade and had twisted it around to destroy the vital organ. With that accursed muzzle, he hadn't been able to convince his enemy that his capture had been part of the plan and that he would have opened a gate for them into Asgard given time. He'd been forced to use all of his remaining power to override the dampening circuitry of the manacles and muzzle and transport himself elsewhere, anywhere he could reach so that he could try to get a final message to Asgard to prepare for an invasion. Message…Stark. "Did Stark tell you," he began.

"Yes. And I have told our father. The scepter has been removed from Asgard and the cube is under heavy guard far from the treasure vault. Father felt the gauntlet was too dangerous to move. Oddly, he would not tell me why."

"Not oddly. It's a temptation…I don't dare touch it and you should not either. It should really be destroyed, though I doubt it would allow such to happen."

"Allow? Is it sentient, then?"

Loki sighed. "Parts of it are. All you need to know is that it must never fall into other hands. Not even mine."

"After your recent behavior, my brother, I would not trust you with any kind of weapon."

"Good. And I am not your brother.

... ...

Steve Rogers twisted to avoid Stark's latest salvo. The unarmed projectiles shattered against the wall of the training area in a subbasement of Stark Tower. "Closer, but…"

"Yeah, I know. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. But if that ammo had been live, you'd have had a concussion wave hit you from behind and I'd have taken another shot at you at much closer range."

"True." Steve looked speculatively at the wall. "Hmm, yeah, you're right. I was close enough that it would have thrown me off balance. We'll have to call that one a tie, since we don't know for sure which way I would have staggered and if you would have hit me."

"A tie it is." Stark fell uncharacteristically silent for several minutes, then his visor flipped up. "Looks like our guest is awake, or was. Jarvis tells me Loki had a brief conversation with Thor but there's been silence since."

"What are we going to do with him?"

"Find out what the hell he knows and then send him back to Asgard and hope they can hold on to him this time, I guess."

"Any word on Dr. G?"

"Jarvis, did Dr. Gunnarssen awaken?"

"No, Sir. She is still unconscious. I have reported that fact to Dr. Banner, he is not yet concerned."

"Ooookay. I guess we let her sleep some more. I wish the Jolly Green Giant would let us move her, though. I can't see her being…oh, crap. Jarvis, what did Reindeer…uh, our guest say about her, uh, position."

"He did not protest, Sir."

"Damned well better not after all she went through for him."

... ...

Loki frowned. He'd fallen asleep again. The woman was still nestled on his chest, but her face was turned away. As he tried to break through the lethargy that still claimed him, he amused himself by counting the different shades of red in her hair. There were at least six…very unusual. Perhaps she visited one of the salons that gave mortal women hues that were not found in nature? He'd seen some very strange colored tresses in his most recent visits to Midgard, including shocking pinks, blues and purples. At least all of her individual shades were found in those with natural hair. A rustling sound caught his attention. A glance to his left showed that he was being attended by the two natured human in his calm, weak form. The man was engrossed in a hardbound book. Loki ignored him and took stock of his recuperation. Oddly, despite the amount of time that had to have passed, he didn't feel the need to relieve himself. And something in that area pinched. He lifted the covers to look down and gasped in shock. "What…?"

"It's called a catheter," Dr. Banner told him. "It has two purposes. One, we can examine the amount and type of liquids you eliminate to ensure your kidneys are healing properly; they were badly damaged. Second, it avoids the need to worry about accidents since you weren't capable of using the facilities."

"Remove it, now," he ordered.

"Sorry. Until you're mobile it stays. Yes, I know," the man said as he started to protest. "There isn't a man alive who doesn't hate it, but it's necessary. As soon as you can make it to the bathroom on your own, we'll get it off, meanwhile, relax."

Loki fought to suppress his irritation. He needed these mortals, at least for the time being. And they had managed to save him when he had thought himself done. "Why does the woman still sleep?" he asked.

"She was awake when your brother left. Your healing is progressing nicely, by the way. It's amazing what a little bit of the right kind of energy can do. She checked your progress, transferred some of your energy into the areas that needed it most, and then collapsed again. I can move her if you insist, but she really wanted to stay connected to you in case you had a sudden relapse; she figures if you did and she was touching you, she couldn't possibly miss it no matter how deeply she slept."

He studied the woman for a moment and considered. "No, leave her. Her energy is restful." Loki turned back to the mortal. "And he is NOT my brother."

"Uh huh, just who you are trying to convince?"

... ...

Thor looked over at the bed as his brother stirred. Loki blinked several times and then looked sharply to the right where Kara Gunnarssen lay stretched out on the bed beside him. "Good morrow, brother."

Loki sighed as he turned to look at him. "Why was she moved?" he asked.

"She moved herself after examining you last. She seemed quite satisfied with your progress. You are cleared to rise when you feel up to it." He watched as Loki lifted the sheet, he knew not why.

"Thank the gods. That…yes. I feel up to it." He struggled to sit up and Thor compressed his lips in an effort to refrain from offering unwelcome help. Loki swung his legs over the side of the bed and looked at him with another sigh. "Perhaps I need assistance; where is the commode?"

Thor stood and held out a hand. "We can take it slowly," he said. Loki grimaced and leaned on him to stand. "Ready?"

"Yes," Loki grated as he took a careful step. "Why do I feel so weak?" he muttered.

"You were all but dead three days past; I am surprised you can stand at all."

"Hmm. Your healer's doing?"

"Most likely; I have felt her power, it's impressive." They made their way slowly into the washroom, and he helped Loki with the necessities. "Do you wish to bathe?"

Loki looked at the deep tub that was fitted with a mechanism that pulsed water through it while bathing. "That…sounds wonderful, yes."

... ...

Kara frowned. Her patient's energy was gone. She opened her eyes. The other side of her bed was empty, as was the chair that sat next to it. Voices murmured through the closed door to her bathroom. "Thank God," she muttered. She climbed out of the bed, slid her feet into her favorite moccasins, and headed down the hall to the shared informal kitchen for the residential floors.

Pepper looked up from the corner table as she entered. "Good morning, Kara. Everything okay?"

"Yep. Our patient is up and in the bathroom with his brother. I thought I'd grab a decent meal for a change." She pulled open the fridge and pulled out the carton of eggs, a package of bacon, the bread, butter and pomegranate jelly. "Hash browns would be nice, but I don't really feel like grating potatoes," she mumbled to herself.

"There's frozen. Just pop them in the deep fryer for two minutes."

"Oh, cool." Kara stopped to give Pepper in incredulous look. "Tony has frozen hash browns? Seriously? If it isn't takeout, I thought he was 'if you can't have the real thing, forget it' guy."

Pepper chuckled. "He is. I, however, am willing to take shortcuts since I don't have a personal chef."

"Tony really needs to get off the fence and make an honest woman of you. He can't keep letting his loss issues get in the way of his happiness, let alone yours."

"What have I told you about pop psychology, Doc?" Tony snapped as he entered the room.

"It is not pop psychology, and no, I won't get off it until you actually listen. I'm stubborn that way."

"Yes, you are."

"Speaking of your issues, why don't I have a snarky nickname like everyone else does?"

"He came up with a few," Pepper said as she turned on the deep fryer. "He just hasn't had the guts to use them in your hearing."

"Aw, Pepper, you wouldn't," Tony mumbled.

"Wouldn't I?"

Kara smirked. "Oh, this has got to be good."

"Let's see, he started out with 'Code Red', then he progressed to 'Campfire Girl', and lately he's been referring to you as 'Blaze'," Pepper supplied.

"Hmm. I'm not sure how to take that."

"All complimentary, seriously," Tony assured her, using his sad puppy dog expression.

"Uh huh." She smiled at the slight feeling of unease he emanated. "What did they put on my official record?"

"Uh-hmm; ask Fury," he muttered and dashed out the door.

"That reaction does not bode well," she told Pepper, who shrugged.

... ...

Thor stomped down the hall and pulled up sharply to avoid crashing into Captain Rogers and Stark. The two men stared at his expression. "I am done with him," he told them carefully, trying not to shout. "He may rot; for all that I shall care." He stepped around them and continued toward the balcony.

"Whoa, Thor, what happened?" Rogers asked.

"My brother has decided I am worthy only to be his body servant. I shall not take such disrespect, not even from him." He stopped and clenched his fists, wishing fervently that there was something there he could destroy to relieve his frustration with Loki. "I have left him in the bath. Perhaps he'll do us all a favor and drown."

"You don't mean that," Stark told him.

"Do I not?" He sighed. "Perhaps I don't, but I am heartily sick of his attitude. I will be in Asgard if I am needed." He turned and resumed walking.

"Hold up, Point Break. How the hell are we supposed to reach you if we do need you? I doubt there's cell service there."

"What?" Thor stared at them a moment, totally confused. Was it possible they did not know? "Call out for Heimdall. He will hear you. Tell him that I am needed and he will summon me."


	6. Chapter 6

Steve knocked on the bathroom door and waited until he was given permission to enter. He glanced at the tub. Loki was leaning back, his head resting on the rim. He looked disgusted. Steve sincerely hoped the man was disgusted with himself, but he wasn't counting on it. "You really blew it with your brother, you know."

Loki turned to look at him. "He'll get over it. My so-called brother is worse than a beaten cur; he always comes back for more."

"I don't think so, not this time. He said he's done with you." Loki shrugged in response. Steve shook his head in disbelief. "Fine, you can think what you want. You ready to get out of there?"

"Yes." The tone was grudging and the disgusted look intensified.

"Okay." He looked around the room, grabbed a towel from the rack and spread it out on the vanity bench. "I'll get down there, you put your arm over my shoulder, and I'll stand and pull you up."

Loki frowned at him. "Keep in mind I'm a great deal heavier than you would think."

"Are you heavier than Thor? I can lift him."

"Ah, no. But my weight is proportionate to his."

"Got it, I'll expect that then." He squatted down beside the tub, and then stood once Loki had a firm hold on his shoulders. It wasn't easy, by any means, but it was manageable. He held on while Loki stepped over the high edge of the tub, then guided him over to the bench and reversed the process. "Okay, here're more towels, I'll leave you to get dry."

"Where are my garments?"

"Uh, well...they were pretty much trashed. Thor took your armor, or what was left of it back home. He said you wouldn't be able to fix it and that he'd get it rebuilt. Everything else was scorched and shredded." Steve shrugged. "I'm pretty sure they sent someone clothes shopping for you, but I'll have to check on that."

"Fine."

…

Kara walked into her bedroom, rubbing her overly full stomach and almost walked into Steve Rogers. "What's up?" she asked.

"He needs clothes. Did Miss Potts say if the order she called in was delivered?"

"When are you going to start calling her Pepper? She thinks you don't like her, you know."

"What? I'm just trying to be respectful."

"Then respect her wishes and call her Pepper. I know; that wouldn't have been appropriate in your time, but try, okay?" She moved past him and opened the door to the walk-in closet. It was cavernous and relatively empty. Despite her forays into the shopping district with her new friends, she hadn't bought much, and her original wardrobe wasn't particularly extensive. A few outfits that Pepper had ordered in for Loki, much to Tony's disgust, hung in the empty section, and other miscellaneous men's clothing articles were folded on top of the shoe cupboard. Kara grabbed a set of pajamas and hesitated over the underwear choices. "Hmm, I'll let him pick," she muttered and selected both boxers and briefs from the stack.

Steve was sitting in the armchair when she emerged. "I'll take it in," he offered.

"Just make sure he's covered. I want to have a word with him about Thor, at the scene of the crime, so to speak."

He shrugged. "If you say so, Doc." Steve pushed the bathroom door open and looked inside before turning back to her. "As good as he can get without clothes," he told her.

"Thanks, Steve. I'll call you when he's ready to go back to bed."

"Yes, ma'am."

Kara smiled as she watched their WWII era soldier practically march out of the room. Next to the attitudes of the rest of the team, his polite formality, particularly with women, was refreshing. Her smile faded as she entered the bathroom. From all reports, Loki's attitude would be a far cry from polite. "Hello," she greeted. "I hear you're ready for these."

Loki looked up at her. "Why are you in here?" he snapped.

She held up the pajamas and underwear. "Bringing you clothing. You did want to dress, didn't you?" The temptation to stare at him like a blushing schoolgirl was overwhelming. On the videos she had reviewed he looked almost slight next to his brawnier brother, Seeing him prone and helpless had strengthened that impression. Upright and all but naked, he looked entirely different; he was actually muscular in the way of swimmers or runners. Loki was lean and hard and, despite the still prominent bruising, damn near perfect. This was going to be…interesting.

He sighed and she could feel impatience whip through him, followed by a cocky sense of superiority. "See something you like, doctor?" he asked as one corner of his mouth quirked up.

"No, not really." Kara forced herself not to react to the shock she could see in his narrowing eyes. She stepped closer. "Everything else seemed to be healing so well, but the bruising is still extensive." Shrugging, she continued. "I suppose I was expecting miracles there, as well. How do you feel?"

…

Loki stared at the woman. Had he mistaken her interest? Was it truly only that of a doctor for her patient? She was carefully examining the bruising on his back, abdomen and chest. "Well enough, considering," he finally managed. "I am still exhausted."

"Not surprising. You're probably starving, too. We did have an IV in you for fluids off and on, but now that you're at least somewhat mobile, you should have something more solid." She pressed gently against his solar plexus, just above the meng mein. "Any pain?"

"It's tender, but no more than that." He looked down at her slender fingers as she spread them out and then laid her palm against his skin. She crouched closer and Loki felt her cool touch at the base of his spine. The mixture of lavender and vanilla he had scented earlier returned. "What are you doing?" he asked as he felt energy emanate from her palms.

"Sending more clean energy into your solar plexus and base chakras to promote healing; there isn't anything more I can do for your meng mein without Thor. Driving him off was really stupid, you know. You still need him."

He grimaced. "I did nothing to drive him off," he said irritably.

"No? You didn't tell him he wasn't worthy to be more than your body servant?"

"I said no such thing."

The woman frowned at him. He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to comment. "No, but you implied it. And don't tell me that you didn't intend for him to take what you did say to mean what he understood. I can feel how satisfied you are over it."

Interesting, she wasn't just a healer; she was some sort of empath. The gifts were often paired in Asgard, but this woman was no Æsir. "I have no more care for his feeling slighted now than he ever felt for slighting me."

She stood and stepped back. "I was wrong. You're not stupid. You're childishly stupid." His jaw dropped at the insult. "Do you have any idea what he did for you?" she asked.

"No, but I'm certain you will tell me."

"Don't smirk at me. I'm already annoyed with you and you really don't want to piss me off."

He chuckled. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"A warning." She took a step back and gestured to the rather feminine décor of the room. "Do you have any idea why we have you in my suite? Tony does have a number of unoccupied guest rooms."

"So that the healer could keep a closer eye on me?"

"No. This suite can be locked down from the outside. The walls you see are a façade. Once the lockdown order is given, it's as secure as the drop cage on the Helicarrier. Well, without the drop feature, of course."

Loki stared at the annoyed redhead. "And why are you assigned such a room, my lady?"

"For the same reason they're not worried about leaving me alone with you. I may not be physically strong, and I'm not a warrior, but I can take down any of the Avengers." She turned on her heel and stalked out the door.

"Interesting."

…

"Steve, I blew it."

He looked up as Dr. Gunnarssen burst into the kitchen. "Excuse me?"

She sighed. "I swore I wouldn't let him provoke me, but his condescending attitude pissed me off. Doesn't he know better than to bait a redhead? Crap. Idiot is all 'woe is me, Thor treated me like dirt so that entitles me to treat him the same way'. That kind of bullshit just annoys the hell out of me."

Steve blinked, Dr. G didn't generally use bad language. "How is it you get along with Tony Stark?"

"What? Oh, it's not the same. Tony doesn't feel sorry for himself. It's people who have so much self pity they can't see straight that get to me. So, he was adopted, big deal. People took him in, gave him a life of privilege, and that wasn't enough. I…oh, hell. I just need to cool down."

"Okay. I'll go make sure he gets dressed and gets into bed." Dr. G had thrown herself down in a chair and was staring out the window at the city. He shook his head and headed back down the hall.

Steve entered the suite in time to hear a crash from the bathroom. A flurry of words in a language he didn't understand was followed by a very English "Bloody hell." He bit back a chuckle and forced himself to stop grinning before he opened the bathroom door. Loki was on the floor, wearing the briefs and had the pajama bottoms half on and half off.

"Can I give you a hand?" he asked.

Loki glared up at him. Started to speak, then stopped and sighed. "Yes. Damned floor is slippery."

To be fair there was water on the tiled floor, it was probably just enough to cause problems for a man who was already struggling with his balance. "Sorry about that. I should have looked for a floor mat."

The fallen man frowned fiercely, then shrugged. "I should have waited for assistance," he allowed, however grudgingly.

Steve nodded. Sounded like Loki was trying not to alienate him along with everyone else. Good thing. "Okay, why don't we shift you around so you can get both legs in those pants, and then we can get you up." It took some maneuvering, but the pajamas bottoms were donned and he got Loki up off of the floor and leaned against the counter. He handed the taller man the matching shirt and waited until it was on and buttoned. "Ready to go back to bed?"

"I'd rather sit in the chair for a while if it's all the same to you."

"No problem." They made it to the chair without incident. Steve sat down on the bed. "You've got Dr. G pretty upset. I'm not too happy about that." He waited but Loki ignored him. "Let me tell you a story."

"Must you?"

"It's a good one." He waited until Loki shrugged before continuing. "Once upon a time," he grinned as the other man glared at him. "Seriously. About fifteen years ago a girl discovered under tragic circumstances that she had a powerful and dangerous ability. Even though what she had done was deemed self-defense and the charges against her were dismissed, her parents were frightened and handed her over to a research center for containment. The girl, just thirteen years old, was experimented on for several years before she was rescued and taken in by a foster family. That family knew everything about her, knew she was dangerous, but they were willing to risk everything so that she could have a chance at a decent life. They didn't have much money, but they helped her get into community college and when she qualified for scholarships to cover more advanced schooling, they cosigned loans to cover the difference so that she could continue her studies." He paused.

"I assume you're speaking of Dr. Gunnarssen?" Loki asked.

"Yeah, I am. The point is, they owed her nothing but gave her what they could and she's grateful for the chance they gave her. So your attitude about your adoption really hurts her. Her foster family couldn't adopt her, her birth family couldn't be located to sign the paperwork. After she turned twenty-one, she legally changed her birth last name to theirs with their blessing." Steve sighed. "You don't have to love the family that adopted you, but you should at least be grateful they saved your sorry behind and gave you the opportunity to live a privileged life. People make mistakes, and maybe they should have told you before you found out for yourself. But think about it…maybe they were afraid people would treat you badly because of your Jötunn blood and were trying to protect you." There was still no response. He sighed again. "Fine, wallow. I'll go find out what you're allowed to eat."


	7. Chapter 7

Kara stared at the half-empty carton of eggs. Thor had a huge appetite, but she wasn't sure if that applied to his brother, particularly since Loki was not at full strength. She shrugged and added three more eggs to the bowl. Being in recovery was all the more reason for him to eat heartily. The bacon was almost done. She could drain the grease and crumble it while the rest of the omelet began cooking. "Crap, cheddar or parmesan?" she wondered as she began beating the eggs.

"Uh, Kara? If that was just the whites, you'd have meringue by now," Pepper said from behind her.

"Damn." She looked down at the frothy eggs. "Taking out my frustrations, I guess."

"You think? Who...oh, is Loki ready for solid food?"

She shrugged. "I don't think he'd react well if I tried to give him broth."

Pepper chuckled quietly. "No, probably not. Did the clothes fit?"

"No clue. I stormed out before he got them on. Steve's in there helping him."

"That man has the patience of a saint. Well, unless Tony baits him."

"Tony would drive a saint to drink. He's lucky you don't do diabolical revenge."

"Ah, but I do. He won't disclose my methods of retaliation to anyone for fear they'll be inspired."

Kara turned to stare at the smirking strawberry blonde. "Inspire me, please."

"Hey doc, your patient is dressed and sitting in the armchair. Sounds like he's hungry, at least I guess that was his stomach complaining," Steve Rogers said as he strode into the kitchen. "Hi Miss...uh, Pepper. Did I get that cabinet in the right place for you?"

"Perfect, Steve, thank you." She turned to look at Kara, her eyebrow raised.

Kara grinned. "Steve, could you go move the table over in front of Loki? His omelet is almost ready," she told him. "Oh, and ask him what he wants to drink. He can have milk, apple juice, or water."

"Sure, doc, no problem."

Pepper nudged her as Steve did an about face and trotted back down the hall. "How did you get him to stop calling me 'Miss Potts'?

"I pointed out that he was disrespecting your wishes by not calling you Pepper. Dedicated military types are all about respect."

"Um hm. So, why can't I fall for a guy like that?"

"That's a good question. He's probably too safe for you, or too predictable."

"Tony Stark is predictable. I predict he will make me mad at least five times today. Of course, I also predict he'll make me laugh more than twice that." Pepper sighed. "How about you? What do you think of our Captain America?"

"I never really understood why so many women go for blondes. Also, the boy scout routine kind of bothers me. It's sweet, and he's a great friend, but it doesn't do it for me, you know?"

"And Bruce?"

"Nothing there, either. Sadly."

"Hmm, so no blondes or boy scouts, that leaves Thor out in the cold, too."

"Pepper, seriously. I don't want a man...or woman for that matter. I-I can't trust myself not to have a flashback and hurt someone in a, uh, romantic situation."

"You've helped so many people get past their PTSD, but you can't get past your own?"

"Pitiful, huh?" Kara asked as she scooped the finished omelet onto a plate.

Pepper hugged her from behind. "No, not pitiful. Sad maybe. And generous."

"Thanks."

...

Loki opened his eyes when he heard Captain Rogers enter the room. The man walked over to a table set near the large window, hefted it, and carried it over to place it in front of him. "I take it a meal is imminent?"

"Yep, hope you like omelets." The mortal frowned. "If you don't, I'd advise you to pretend. Dr. G is going out of her way for you."

He snorted softly. "What is in it, besides the obvious?"

"Eggs, bacon, and maybe cheese."

"Acceptable, marginally."

Rogers slammed his palm down on the wrought iron table's top hard enough to make it vibrate and leaned in close. "Sir, I really advise you to lose the attitude. We are doing our level best to help you, but you need to help yourself." Straightening, he sighed. "Apple juice, milk or water to drink?"

Loki decided a snide wait help comment would be unwise. "Milk and water, if I may." He watched quietly as Rogers spun and strode out of the room. Frowning as a thought occurred, he looked down at the heavy metal table and then took stock of the room's other furnishings. The bedside tables were also wrought iron, as were the chairs that had flanked the table in front of him when it had sat under the window, and the bed's head and foot boards. There were no drapes, and other than a few scatter rugs, the granite floor was bare. The only other flammable objects in the room were the bedding and the chair he sat in. "How...odd."

"What's odd?" Dr. Gunnarssen asked.

He looked up as she crossed the room carrying a plate and a rolled up napkin. She set them in front of him and sat down on the bed, folding her legs under her. Trying not to frown at her clothing choices, he unrolled the napkin and picked up the fork. "The absolute dearth of wood or much else in the way of flammable items in your suite." He speared a bite of omelet and began eating.

She smiled. "Not odd, necessary."

Swallowing, he frowned. "Why necessary...and this is good, by the way. The rosemary and thyme are a nice touch."

"Thank you. I try to avoid using salt, but I like flavor."

He finished another bite. "Are you avoiding my question?"

Her smile widened but she didn't respond as Rogers entered and set two glasses down on the table. "Doc, Stark and I have to take off for a few hours to meet Dr. Banner. Are you and, Miss Potts...uh, Pepper, going to be okay here? Nat and Clint can be here in ten minutes if you have trouble."

...

"I'm sorry," Loki interrupted. "You refer to the other women with titles, why do you call Agent Romanov by a nickname?"

Steve blushed. "Well, she told me if I called her Agent or Miss Romanov one more time, she'd make sure I sang soprano...and I really think she'd do it."

Loki stared for a moment and once the inference sank in, burst out laughing. The difference it made in his expression was amazing, and attractive as all hell. Kara spared a glance for Steve. The poor man felt totally flustered but was manfully trying not to show it. "I think you're right," she agreed. "And with that kind of threat, discretion is the better part of valor."

"Yes, ma'am. That was my thought. Uh, so are you good here?"

"Sure, no problem. When you guys have a more definite time frame, let us know."

"Will do."

"You still haven't answered my question," Loki reminded her, still smiling.

"No, I haven't.

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "You have your secrets, I have mine. Want to trade?"

"Ah, nice try...hmm."

"Hmm, what?"

"It occurred to me that I don't know your name...your given name, that is."

"Oh. Kara. And yes, you may use it."

"I was not going to ask permission," he informed her.

"Didn't think you were, so I took away your opportunity to be rude about it."

"Damn. I wonder though, most mortal physicians I've met are adamant that their proper title be used. Why are you different?"

"I'm a healer, not a physician, I don't have an M.D.," she told him and waited for the obvious question.

"Then what is your degree in?"

"Degrees. Genetics and psychology."

...

A psychologist. Of course. Well, the mortals did think him insane. "I see. So, have you begun your psychoanalysis?"

Damned woman had the nerve to chuckle. "No, I've decided to go with Dr. Banner's assessment. Your mind really is like a bag full of cats." She shrugged at his frown. "You've got to admit, it's both accurate and rather poetic. I can sense enough about you that I know your mind is not something it would be safe to dig into. One of us would end up being seriously hurt."

"And not necessarily you?"

She smiled. "I can defend myself, Loki, even from you. It's not something I'd enjoy doing, but I will if I must."

"And how, exactly, will you defend yourself?"

"You haven't shared any of your secrets yet."

So he hadn't. He stared at her, contemplating how to gain her trust. His eyes were drawn again to her unbecoming attire, sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. The loose material did no more than hint at the curves hidden beneath. It was so at odds with her classical features, graceful length of neck and slender hands that it irritated him to no end. "Why do you dress that way?" he asked.

Kara looked down at herself. "It's comfortable."

"It's calculated," he corrected.

She stared at him, appearing genuinely confused. "Calculated to do what?"

"To tease; to make a man wonder what treasure is hidden beneath." He blinked in surprise when her expression darkened and she slid off of the bed and backed away from him.

"What the hell is wrong with men? If I wear close fitting clothing, I'm a slut and just asking for it. If I wear loose shapeless clothes I'm a tease. Am I still just asking for it?" Her voice shook and she was blinking rapidly. What 'button' had he managed to push? "Seriously, Loki, I really want to know."

He shook his head. "I-I'm sorry, Kara. I did not mean anything other than to express appreciation. You are a beautiful woman."

She had crossed her arms over her chest and had turned away. "So, it's still my fault, no matter what I do? Great."

"I don't understand." He paused as she shook her head and started to walk away. "Please," he said. "Don't go. I did not intend to cause you distress. Stay and talk to me." He pushed at the table and managed to move it far enough away to rise. Leaning on it and then reaching for the bed post for balance he was able to walk to where she had stopped. Holding on with one hand he reached out with the other and lightly touched her shoulder. "Tell me what's wrong, please."

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep his expression calm when she turned to face him. Her eyes were suspiciously wet, and her lower lip trembled. "It's funny, isn't it? I specialize in treating post-traumatic stress disorder…while suffering from a classic case of it."

Thinking about her comments he struggled to put them in context with what Captain Rogers had told him earlier. He inhaled sharply as comprehension dawned. "The traumatic event that triggered the abilities you won't discuss with me. You-you were violated, were you not?"

Kara laughed, rather sadly, he thought. "Violated. Wow, that's such a quaint word."

Loki sighed as the threatened tears began to escape. He tugged gently on her arm. "Come here, please," he told her quietly. She obeyed, and he carefully pulled her close. "To answer your question, it is not about anything being wrong with men," he began as he sat down on the bed, cupped her cheeks and wiped away the stray tears with his thumbs. "Those who would do such a thing are not men, they are offal. No man worthy of the name would ever treat a woman thus."

The maddening chit snorted disbelievingly. "But you kill women, don't tell me you haven't," she rasped.

Ah, now they were getting somewhere. "Yes. If a woman engages in combat, and I must face her as her enemy, I will kill her. That's respectful of her position as a warrior. Willingly doing harm when not in combat or forcing anyone to engage in sex regardless of the circumstances is dishonorable and I would never do something so shameful."

She stared up at him as he brushed her hair back and tucked it behind a shell-like ear then returned his palm to her cheek. "You are a bundle of contradictions, Loki."

He smiled. "Not really. You simply do not have all of the facts." She shivered when he brushed a thumb across her bottom lip. "Kara, I'd really like to kiss you, but I don't want you frightened. May I?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea," she muttered half under her breath.

"I do." He leaned in slowly to give her time to protest. When she did not, he lightly claimed her lips in a soft kiss, one designed to reassure and entice. She shivered, but didn't pull away. Deepening the kiss, he traced his hands along her jaw, then down her neck, finally slipping them behind her to draw her closer yet. "I'll never hurt you," he promised as he paused to allow her to catch her breath.

She stiffened in his arms then raised her hands to push against his chest when he moved to resume the kiss. "No, don't." He frowned and looked into her troubled eyes. "I-Thor told me that you felt yourself a monster because of your Jötunn heritage," she said.

His mouth twisted. His brother had told her what he really was. No wonder she wanted no part of him. "I am what Asgardian mothers threaten disobedient children with," he admitted.

"But don't you see? That doesn't make a person a monster. What makes someone a monster is what they do, not what they are." The tears had started again. "I can't do this…I can't be close to anyone, Loki. It isn't because it's you. It's because I'm the monster."

Loki stared at her, stunned into silence for a moment. "How can you say that?" he finally asked.

Kara pulled away and ran to the bathroom. She returned carrying the three used towels, pulled the throw rug under the bed, and placed the damp towels on the now bare granite floor, far from the armchair and bedding. "It was the day before my thirteenth birthday. I was on my way home from school and decided to take a shortcut. I was so excited because I was finally going to be a teenager." She shuddered and hugged herself.

"You don't have to relive this for me, Kara."

"Don't I? I passed by three men…okay, let's call them scumbags," she offered when he started to interrupt. "They were drinking, had been drinking for a while judging by all of the empty bottles. When they saw me, they decided to have some fun and use me as their toy."

He wanted to close his eyes, to not hear this, but that wouldn't have been right. "And they violated you." It was not a question.

Her laugh was harsh. "Again with the quaint, oh so polite word. They raped me. Repeatedly. Then they left me broken and bleeding on the ground and went back to their drinking. I was crying, furious, and frightened. The rage rushed through me like a river of fire. I pushed myself up and found myself screaming at them, telling them they were going to burn in hell."

"That seems to be a reasonable reaction to that horror," he said carefully, not certain what she was expecting from him.

"Reasonable." She laughed again, this time it sounded desperate. Loki was the desperate one; he desperately wanted to hold her close and somehow make her pain go away, but something in her eyes held him still. "Then the power rose, the fire raged through me, and I brought them into hell on Earth." She looked back at the three very damp towels.

They burst into flames, three concentrated fireballs that quickly combined to a conflagration that burned so hot the center was white. He couldn't control his gasp and regretted it when she flinched. "You're a firestarter," he said in awe.

"Pyrokinetic, is the scientific term," she murmured. "Between us, I'm the true monster."


	8. Chapter 8

"Dr. Gunnarssen, a fire has been detected in your quarters, do you require assistance?" Kara started at the sound of the AI.

She tore herself away from Loki's stunned gaze and forced the fire to burn even hotter until the last of the material was consumed. The flames died as ash drifted to the floor. "No, Jarvis. I was…providing a demonstration and neglected to inform you. I've put it out now."

"Noted. Please advise when you are ready for clean-up assistance."

"I will."

"That," Loki said quietly, "was incredible. Thor was right; your gifts are quite impressive. You are no monster, Kara. What you are is amazing."

"It's not a gift, it's a curse," she told him. "Three men who should have gone to prison died horribly because of this…this thing inside me. I will never get that sight, or the smell of burning flesh, out of my head."

He shook his head and held out a hand to her, sighing when she crossed her arms again and ignored it. "Sweet lady, if you had not administered your own justice, I would be plotting how to get out of here to track those cretins down and kill them myself. Their crime is one that is not tolerated or excused for any reason in Asgard."

"How nice for Asgard." She decided a lecture on U.S. law would be an exercise in frustration, so let that subject drop.

"I want you," Loki told her. She glared at him as she felt genuine desire flash through him.

"Okay, apparently that object lesson," she said, pointing at the pile of ash, "was lost on you. I don't do intimacy, not with anyone. What if I had a flashback? I could incinerate you before I even realized what I was doing."

... ...

Loki frowned. He needed to think, and that just wasn't happening in her presence. Her energy affected him strangely. Yes, she was lovely, and he had sympathy for victimized children, and certainly disgust for those who would use a woman as she had been used, but attraction? Wanting to champion her? She was mortal, an insect…albeit a powerful one. Ah, now that made sense. He was drawn to that core of power he could feel running through her. "I think you underestimate me, but no matter, I trust you."

"You don't get it. I don't trust myself." Kara again pointed at the settling pile of ash. "That could just as easily have been you. I won't risk it."

"Dr. Gunnarssen, Agent Barton requires your presence on the observation deck." Loki frowned; he could easily come to hate that disembodied voice. It was as annoying as knowing Heimdall could be watching and listening to him at any given second.

"I've got to go. I'm sorry, I'll have to lockdown the suite when I leave," Kara told him.

"I understand. I-I'll just finish my breakfast."

She looked at the abandoned plate, then walked over and held one hand above it. "It's pretty cold." After moving the milk and water to the bedside nightstand, she returned her hand to the plate. Concentration firmed her mouth for a moment. When she removed her hand away again he could see steam rising from the eggs.

His eyes widened. "Incredible."

Kara shrugged. "After I accepted the fact that I couldn't get rid of this thing inside me I started examining it scientifically, experimenting with it. If I concentrate, I can manage a very precise application of heat. Not enough to combust an item, but enough to raise its temperature rapidly." She frowned. "But my concentration has to be absolute. One slip and the item is incinerated."

"Still…"

"Don't," she said, holding up a hand. "I've got to go. Tell Jarvis if you need help. The system doesn't listen to everything, but if you say the name as part of a question, you'll trigger a response protocol." She headed out the door, closing it behind her.

A few seconds later he heard a heavier door slide down behind the inner one and got the same type of claustrophobic feeling the drop cage and the manacle/muzzle combination had given him, only on a far larger scale. "Well, well. I won't be using my power to go anywhere anytime soon," he mused. After making his way back to the chair, he dug back in to the omelet.

... ...

Clint and Nat were waiting for her in the observation lounge. "What's up?" she asked.

"You tell us," Clint told her. "We received a recall message telling us to get our asses here, pronto. What did he do that you had to back him off with your pyrokinetics?"

"What? Nothing. He…I…never mind, it's complicated."

"Oh, Christ. Look at me."

"What?" she demanded angrily.

"Hmm, your eyes are still hazel."

"Of course they're still…Clint, we've discussed this. No scepter, no mind control, remember?"

"Then what the hell is it?"

"You've lost me," she told him, trying to be patient.

He gave her a disgusted look. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? Your lips are swollen like you've been kissed. A lot."

Kara threw herself into a chair and sighed as Clint stalked out on the balcony and stared out at the city. How in hell was she supposed to reassure anyone else when she didn't understand it herself? She looked up when Natasha crouched in front of her with a lopsided smirk. "Playing with fire, hon?"

"Very funny."

The Black Widow shrugged. "He's handsome, no doubt about it. But he's a manipulative misogynistic murdering bastard."

Kara stared at Nat's serious expression. "Nat, what if it was all part of a war he was fighting against someone else. A war he couldn't tell us about without making things worse?"

"Hypothetically?" her eyes narrowed. "I take it you have a theory?"

"Yes."

"I'd still stand by the misogynistic bastard assessment."

She grinned. "Okay, let's break that down. Why?"

"Well, let's see. For one, he called me a mewling quim."

"Yes, but what were the circumstances?"

"Kara, you know very well, you saw the tape," Natasha reminded.

"I did, but I want you to remember. You went in there to manipulate him into telling you what his goal was. You shamelessly used your femininity, hoping he would underestimate you and spill his secrets."

"Of course; it was war, anything goes."

"Of course. Anything goes for you…but not for him?"

"What?" In one fluid movement, Natasha was on her feet and glaring at her.

Kara had to laugh. "Nat, you're applying a double-standard here, admit it. It was okay for you to fight with words, using your femininity, but it wasn't okay for him to fight back, again, with words, using your femininity against you? Was he just supposed to roll over before the superior woman and give her what she wanted?"

"Son of a bitch," Clint said from the balcony. "That...actually makes sense, I remember that, kind of. It was part of our orders through that damned scepter, fight the fight that's offered to you and no more, no less."

"Yes. Apparently in Asgard they're all about honorable combat. The question is: what war was he fighting?"

"He was trying to take over Earth, or maybe Asgard," Natasha said.

"Was he? I don't think so. Nat, from everything I've read, seen or heard he's smart, genius smart. Stirring up the only pot on the planet that could stop his so-called invasion isn't smart. He put you, all of you, on the field of play very deliberately. Why?"

... ...

The omelet hadn't suffered much from reheating. Loki finished it and the milk and carefully made his way to the washroom. He could stand without assistance now, but the effort was exhausting, so he made use of the counter to lean on while he cleaned his teeth with the supplies that had been provided for him before he'd taken his bath. Staring at himself in the mirror, he reached within for his Jötunn side. His skin swiftly turned blue, the trademark ridges appeared and red eyes stared back at him. A sheen of frost covered the counter. "No, sweet lady," he whispered. "I am still the monster." He reversed the change and made his way painfully to the bed.

He decided to enter the king-sized bed on the side closest to the washroom and roll over to the other side to spare himself the extra steps, his energy was waning. A moment after he lay down, Loki knew he'd made a mistake. The lavender and vanilla scent that was so distinctly Kara's washed over him. Closing his eyes he breathed it in for several long minutes before he forced himself to move. He'd just made it back to the far side of the bed when he heard the outer door slide open and felt the dampening circuitry disengage.

"Sorry I was gone so long," Kara said as she entered. Opening his eyes, he silently watched her cross the room and collect the plate, utensils and milk glass. The barely touched glass of water she left on the bedside stand. "I'll just run these to the kitchen and I'll be right back."

"Wait."

She frowned down at him. "What's wrong?"

"Ah, never mind. Go, it can wait until you return." Kara shrugged and left with the dishes. He turned to stare at her side of the bed. His contemplation of his reaction to her hadn't yielded any answers and that bothered him. He still had this, dare he say it? It was an insane urge to protect her, to make her his. It made no sense whatsoever. He'd turned it over in his mind, but none of the possible reasons rang true to him. Yes, she was a healer with talent that the healers of Asgard would envy. That alone made her priceless, but that-that wasn't why he wanted her. With her pyrokinetic abilities she would be a formidable weapon, but the thought of using her as such turned his stomach. Loki groaned and lay back to stare at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Kara asked as he felt the bed shift with her weight and then her hand slid under the hem of his garment to rest just above his navel. "I'm not feeling any issues," she said.

"I guarantee if you touched lower you'd feel an 'issue'," he couldn't resist saying as he felt his groin tighten.

Her hand froze in place and she sighed. "You really need to stop, Loki. I told you, I can't go there."

"Fine." He patted the bed. "Lay down and keep me company. I'm exhausted."

She frowned, but stretched out beside him. He tried not to smile when her hand was not removed. "You do have a drop in energy, but it feels like normal tiredness, nothing injury related."

"I said I was exhausted, not pained." He laid a hand on top of hers through the silky material as she started to withdraw it. "Please don't. I find your energy relaxing."

"All right."

He stared into her hazel eyes. The blue, green, and grey striations with small flecks of topaz that all seemed to move within her irises depending on the angle at which they were viewed reminded him of a kaleidoscope he'd brought back to Asgard as a present for his mother…his adoptive mother. His eyes drifted shut. Seeing the hurt and fear for him on Frigga's face had been the hardest part of facing the Tribunal.

"Why suddenly so sad," Kara asked

"My-my mother. This, all of this has caused her a great deal of distress. I regret that."

"Why did you do it, Loki? I don't understand. Nothing seems to fit with what I can feel from you, what Thor has said about you, and what you have said about yourself. What you did here seems so out of character. I realize it was all part of a bigger plan, I need to know what that plan was so I can help you."

"It doesn't matter anymore," he told her, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. She'd feel it, but feelings were subject to interpretation, perhaps she'd think it was annoyance. The Other and his master would come, eventually, but at a time he could no longer predict or plan for. His underestimation of the combined genius of Stark and Banner that had resulted in them creating the damned energy dampening circuitry had ruined everything. His enemies and their legions of Chitauri would come, Asgard would fight…hopefully win, and Thor would be their hero. Again.

He frowned as she edged closer and laid her head on his shoulder. Before he truly realized what he was doing he had slipped his arm around her and hugged her closer still. "It matters to me," she said softly.


	9. Chapter 9

Kara sighed as she felt Loki drift into sleep. He had never answered her, but before he slept she had felt a veritable abyss of emotional pain well up within him. His head had turned toward her as he relaxed and she could feel his warm breath in her hair. She smiled sadly. It was hard to believe there was another adoptee out there with an even more painful and tragic emotional history than her own, and beyond all odds that she would be asked to help him, but there it was. She didn't believe in coincidence, so they must have both been moved to this place and time for a purpose. Dismissing the situation from her mind as best she could, she allowed herself to drift off as well.

A soft chime announced someone at her door a moment before it began to swing open. Kara groggily looked at the digital display imbedded under a clear surface in the far wall. She'd slept through the afternoon. At some point Loki had turned on his side and had both arms wrapped possessively around her. It felt good.

... ...

"Holy Christ," Tony muttered as he walked into Kara's suite. The most potentially dangerous woman he'd ever met was nestled in the arms of the most ruthless man he'd ever met. This could not be good, regardless of what Barton and Romanov had told him of Kara's objectives. There was nothing objective about the sleepy befuddled look she turned in his direction.

"Tony? What's wrong," she asked softly.

He shook his head and gestured at the two of them. "This," he said. "This is just wrong. I mean, seriously Kara? We're talking dogs and cats living together…mass hysteria."

Kara rolled her eyes at him and groaned. "That's it, you are hereby forbidden to watch any more eighties movies." She levered herself up on one elbow and looked down at her bed partner with pursed lips. "He is kind of cat-like, though. Big sleek cat, maybe a panther." Turning to face him again she continued, "That would make me the dog, Tony, so woof, woof, and get out of my room before I bite your ass."

"Promises, promises," he said with a mock leer. "We need you upstairs, we're having a conference call with Fury in fifteen. There's trouble afoot."

"And no more Sherlock Holmes books," she grumbled as she slid out from Loki's embrace and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "I'll be right up."

... ...

Loki was still sleeping deeply. She dashed into the closet and grabbed a pair of jeans and her favorite blouse and clean underwear and carried them into the washroom. After a quick shower she dressed, brushed her teeth and hair, then entered the bedroom to grab her sandals. Loki's eyes were open and he was frowning. "What's wrong now?" she asked.

"I was about to ask you that. Where are you going?" he wanted to know as she sat on the bed to tug on the footwear.

"Meeting upstairs. I'm going to have to put the suite back on lockdown again, I'm very sorry."

"It hurts."

"What does?"

"The dampening technology. It's a much stronger version than the others I've been subjected to and it vibrates through my skull after a bit and becomes painful."

She frowned and leaned across the bed to stroke his cheek. "I have to turn it on, Loki, you know that. I'll be back as soon as I can and if you're in pain, I'll deal with it for you. That's the best I can do."

He sighed, closed his eyes and moved on to his back. "I understand. You do not trust me, and you're right not to. If I felt the need to be elsewhere, I would not stay here had I any choice in the matter."

Loki started when she stretched to kiss his cheek. "I wish I could trust you, Loki. But you haven't done anything to build that kind of confidence with me."

His voice was tired and reflected the bitterness she could feel. "I know."

She hurried out the door, and called for Jarvis to initiate the lockdown as she headed down the hall. When she arrived in the conference room, everyone was waiting. "I know, I'm late. I needed a shower, I hadn't had one since early yesterday."

"I'm sure we're all grateful, doctor. Or at least those of us in the room with you," Nick Fury said dryly from the huge screen that had been extended from the wall to show a conference room at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. "Okay, people, I'm going to turn this over to Jane Foster, our resident astrophysicist."

A woman near Kara's age with sandy hair and a serious expression nodded and picked up a controller. "I'll show a series of aerial photos on the other screen. The first, as you can see, is a world map with highlighted points. Each point represents an ancient site of some sort. Stonehenge in England, the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru, and so forth." She flicked through twelve more aerial views of locations around the world and returned to the map. "Each of these sites has recently had reports of strange activity, the most prevalent report being of a sound like rushing waves where there is no water and flashes of blue lights. This went on for three days at all of the sites and then stopped abruptly."

Kara stared at the map and the twelve pinpointed sites spread across the globe. "What are those two in the U.S.?" she asked.

"The first is in Sedona, Arizona, near the Bell Rock vortex. The other is the site in New Mexico where we first met Thor," Foster said.

"All of them were reporting simultaneous activity?" Natasha asked.

"Every single one, yes, once we'd calculated the time differences."

A sick feeling twisted her stomach into knots. "Any way we can reach Thor?" Kara asked the group.

"Already tried," Tony responded. "And I've got to tell you, standing on the balcony, talking to thin air does nothing for my image."

Kara blinked. "What?"

Steve spoke up. "Thor told us we could reach him by calling out loud for someone named Heimdall, that this guy could hear his name called from here and would let Thor know if we had a problem."

"And no response, lovely." She looked around the room at the rest of the team. "Well? Is anyone going to spell it out?" Looking back at the screen, she addressed Nick Fury and Jane Foster. "Are we thinking this looks and sounds a little too similar to the tesseract opening and closing?"

"We are, doctor," Fury agreed."The question is, who is opening or trying to open wormholes, and why."

"Okay. Has it occurred to anyone that we need to ask the expert?"

"The experts have all discussed it, and we're at a standstill, obviously. Dr. Selvig is in agreement as to what is happening, but we can only speculate as to why," Nick continued.

"Not our experts, Asgard's expert," she clarified.

"Uh, yeah, Spitfire, Thor isn't picking up the phone," Tony snarked.

... ...

Bruce Banner removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Tony, she means Loki. And as much as I hate to admit it, she's right. He's the only one on the planet who would be likely to have a good theory as to who or what is causing the phenomena."

"And that would be great, if we could trust Rock of Ages not to lie his ass off about it. That is in his job description, you know."

"I think we have a guarantee that he won't, or that if he does, we'll know it," he retorted. "We have a genuine empath, a powerful one. How many of us have tried to B.S. her and failed? I seriously doubt that Loki would have any better luck."

"No, not just no, but HELL no," Tony insisted.

"Stark, you don't run this outfit," Fury pointed out. "Nor are you the leader of this team."

"Fine, let's hear what Soldier Boy has to say about it."

"I don't consider that an insult, Stark," Steve Rogers said. "You're slipping." Tony waved off the comeback. "If this is something to do with wormholes opening, we're in big trouble. I say we consult with the expert, but we check and double-check anything he tells us. Dr. Gunnarssen, we'll need you to monitor him, let us know if you think he's pulling something."

"Oh for Christ's sake, she's sleeping with the son of a bitch," Tony griped. "That's like asking the…oh hell, I can't even think of a metaphor that fits."

Bruce looked at Kara who was surging to her feet. "Kara, calm down, you know he's an ass, don't let it get to you."

Her head whipped around and she stared at him for several long seconds before settling back down in her chair. "Fine. I'm calm." she turned back toward Stark. "I am not on intimate terms with Thor's brother and you damn well know that. I don't trust him, he's keeping too many secrets, but that doesn't mean he can't or won't help with this. The only other beings besides Thor's people that we know about with technology to use wormholes damn near killed him. I really think it would be in his best interests to determine if this is something they're doing and if so, to help us find a way to stop them."

"That was my thought, too," Bruce agreed. "Cap? What do you think?"

"I think we need to bring him in on this," Rogers said with a censuring glare at Stark. "And I also think certain people need to show more respect for their own team members."

... ...

Loki felt the dampening field disengage and relaxed. Trying to block the pain in his weakened state was draining his already limited energy. A moment later the door opened and Kara entered with a suited up Captain Rogers on her heels. The man walked over to the bedside while Kara opened the door to the walk-in closet. "Back from your trip so soon?" he asked the flashily dressed mortal.

Rogers frowned at him. "We just needed to verify a few things in person. It didn't take long. You're needed upstairs, you feeling up to it?"

His eyebrows rose before he could stifle his surprise. "I've an almost blinding headache and I'm exhausted from fighting it."

"Loki, this is important, you really need to get dressed and join us," Kara said as she exited the closet and headed for the washroom carrying men's clothing. "Let me set this down and I'll take care of that headache for you."

"Why is it important?" he asked lightly, schooling his features to indifference.

"Anyone besides the Asgardians and your former buddies know how to use wormholes?" Rogers asked.

"Yes, the Jötunn, though they haven't the technology for it at the moment, and both the Ljósálfar and Svartálfar, ah, the Álfar? Hmm, the light and dark elves?" he clarified at the mortal's questioning look.

Rogers was staring at him with a seriously disturbed expression. "Huh," he finally said. "So, are Dracula and the Wolfman real, too?"

Loki sighed. "Not that I'm aware of, though several of the races can shift forms if the individual is powerful enough." He relaxed back against the pillows as Kara pointed firmly at the bed. Her fingers were tingling with energy as she touched his temples and began to rub them gently in a counter-clockwise direction. The tension that was sending spikes of pain through his head began to drain away. "Thank you," he breathed as he let his eyes drift shut.

"Would any of these Álfar have any reason to be trying to open a wormhole to here?" Rogers asked.

"Not hardly, it's forbidden them. Their treaty with Asgard restricts all contact with Midgard. The All-Father wanted your people to have the opportunity to destroy themselves, or not, without any outside interference."

"Then we have a serious problem, Loki," Kara told him as she withdrew her hands. The last of the pain seemed to go with them. "Sit up and let me energize you a bit, so you can get dressed." He complied and she placed her hands, as she had before, above his Base and Solar Plexus Chakras, and he felt the slight push of energy. Too soon she stopped and stepped back. "That's all I can manage right now. Can you make it to the bathroom?"

"Yes, thank you." He touched her cheek as he pushed himself to his feet and took hold of the foot board as he made his way around the bed.

Captain Rogers moved in and hefted the heavy iron table up and moved it back under the window once he was out of the way. "Let me know if you need a hand in there," Rogers told him.

He used the facilities and rubbed a hand across his jaw. Looking down at the kit that had been set out for him, he found shaving supplies and used them. Though he didn't have the generous amount of facial or body hair that male Æsir produced, he did have some, and he detested stubble. Face smooth, he combed back his ebony hair and frowned as it fell down untidily into his eyes. Loki sat down on the vanity bench for a moment, then shrugged. "Kara?" he called out.

The door opened. "Do you need Steve?" she asked.

"If I'd needed Rogers, I'd have called for him. Do you have anything designed to hold hair in place?"

"I have mousse," she said as she pushed the door the rest of the way open and walked over to the shelf that held different grooming products.

"How is it used?" he asked.

Kara turned and frowned at him. "It's easier to show you than explain, then you can do it yourself next time." He nodded and watched as she pressed down on a lever and a fluffy blob of product squirted out into her cupped palm. "How did you want it to look, all set straight back, like it was when you arrived last time?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay." She stepped closer and worked the 'mousse' through his hair and then swept it back with her hands. After reaching for the comb, she combed back stray pieces that she'd missed and then looked him over critically. "That should do it. It will stay that way even when it dries," she told him. "My hair is even finer than yours and it holds it all day." Kara returned the product to the shelf and then washed her hands. "Are you all set, then?"

"Yes, thank you." He stared into the mirror for a second. His exhaustion was obvious, but there was no help for it. If the mortals sought to betray him after granting him refuge and hospitality they'd find that he was far from weak. "I'm ready."


	10. Chapter 10

Nick Fury let the Avengers continue to bicker as he conferred with Agent Hill over the readiness status of the remainder of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the more traditional military units they were authorized to mobilize. He kept half of his attention on the juvenile antics of Tony Stark and the efforts of Dr. Banner to keep him in line as he reviewed reports. The only surprising part of the circus was that Hawkeye was not jumping on the 'Loki is too dangerous to deal with' bandwagon. Interesting. He returned his full attention to the screen when he heard his name mentioned.

"Fury, the doc has been wondering what code name you've assigned her," Stark said with a decided smirk. "I thought that news should be yours to share."

Nick sighed. "How very…gracious of you." Stark's grin faded as he looked off to the side of the room. Following the billionaire's gaze he saw Rogers and Dr. Gunnarssen enter flanking a very haggard-looking God of Mischief. He'd read the reports but hadn't quite believed the seriousness of Loki's condition. Thor's brother looked like he'd been cranked through a wringer and hung out to dry, and this was _after_ nearly five days of intense medical and metaphysical treatment and recovery. Apparently the reports of how close Loki had come to death weren't exaggerated. He waited until the three had taken seats. "Are you sure he's up to this?" he asked Kara Gunnarssen.

" _He_ ," Loki said with his usual superior smirk, "can answer for himself."

"Oh, I'm sure _he_ can, but I wanted the healer's opinion."

The man managed a careless shrug as Kara turned to look at him. "I think he has to be, Nick. It's likely his problem as much as it is ours. Maybe more so since he's got a lot more to lose."

Loki snorted almost too softly for the audio connection to pick up. "Don't think it could be your problem, Loki?"

"I think that Kara does not understand that I have little left to lose," Loki responded. He sighed when the doctor turned to stare at him. "Please don't go into therapy mode, doctor. We don't have time for it."

Nick sat back feeling a bit more comfortable about the dynamic between Kara and Loki. Stark was overreacting if even the patient knew her attention was intended as therapy. "Have you been briefed at all?"

… …

"Yes, Captain Rogers explained about the phenomena and the timing on our way up. I need to see the map if you would."

"Jane, flip back to that…thank you," Fury said as the second screen changed from an aerial view of an area that looked to be in the southwestern part of this continent to a world map.

Loki studied the map and its highlighted sites. "I need a scale, in kilometers if possible, that is easier for me to convert to Asgardian measurements." A scale popped up on the map. "Hmm, most of the areas are either too far from each other, or are separated by a large enough body of water to become a problem. However, those two," he said, indicating the two on their continent, are worrisome."

"Why?" Fury asked.

"To open a wormhole without the full power of a tesseract in the hands of the one opening it, you need three points. One at your end, and two where you wish to emerge. The only tesseract that is currently known is in the hands of the All-Father…damn." He took a deep breath as he thought about how to phrase his question. "I realize that you will not, cannot tell me where the scepter is, and I fully accept that. What I must know, however is whether or not you have the scepter at least a thousand kilometers from any of the other locations."

Fury tapped on a screen to his left and waited before answering. "Yes, well over that distance."

"Good. That would have been…problematic."

"It could serve as one of those points you spoke of, I take it?"

"Yes. The gate it would open would be far smaller than the gate possible using two of the sites here and the power source on the other side, but it would still be a viable if unstable gate. The instability of any wormhole opened without the tesseract or a powerful construct like the Bifröst is in our favor."

"But no wormhole or gate as you call it opened. Does that mean they failed and we can stand down?"

"Unfortunately not. The energy that was sent out was a test, trying to locate a possible egress for their gate, much like a bat emits sounds to navigate as it flies."

"Like a sonar ping, sending out waves of energy to see what bounces back?"

Loki frowned as he thought about the reference. "Ah, yes. That's an excellent analogy, director." He gestured back at the map. "The enemy would have received a reference much like that map. They may waste time trying to open their gate in areas that are separated by bodies of water as they will get the strength of and distances between the sites, but not the topography, so we may have a week or more yet. Each time they 'ping' as you say, it will cost them a great deal of energy and it will take them several of your days to rebuild the levels to the point where they can make an attempt at this distance. It took them over a month to build up enough energy to connect to the tesseract when you brought that out into the open air, and even at that, because they were using a one to one point connection, they were only able to send one person."

Fury closed his sole eye and exhaled heavily. "You."

"Yes."

"So do you believe it is the Chitauri who are attempting to reach Earth?"

"Their masters, yes. The Chitauri themselves are not a particularly intelligent race. They are more a destructive force that needs to be guided to be effective. The ones behind them are another issue altogether."

"So, sending the scepter back here protected Asgard, then?"

"Of course, with the Bifröst in ruins there are only two…oh, bloody hell."

… …

Steve Rogers frowned as Loki lurched to his feet and headed for the balcony. "Uh, Dr. G?"

"I don't know, Steve, but something just terrified him, I can feel it." She got up to follow her patient. "Loki, what's wrong?"

He followed them, noting that Stark was moving to intercept Loki at the door. "Stark, stand down, let's see how this plays out."

"The hell you say. What if he's just been acting weak and he uses that mojo of his to pop on out of here?"

"I'm ordering you to stand down, Avenger."

Stark stopped to stare at him in shock. "You're ordering me?" His laugh was derisive. "Oh, that's good. Who the hell made you the boss of me in my own damn tower?"

"I did, Stark," Fury said from the screen. "His instincts are good, listen to him."

Hawkeye had stepped into the doorway, blocking Loki's exit. "Explain or forget it," he told the taller man.

"There's another artifact in Odin's treasure room, I'd forgotten. And if the enemy has sent these 'pings' there, they will be preparing to open a gate right where the weapon they seek is stored. Asgard must be warned."

Barton opened the door and watched Loki exit. "Thanks, Clint," Steve said as he caught up.

"No problem, Cap. Unlike some people, I don't argue with orders, I just make sure they make sense."

Following Loki out onto the balcony, Steve moved to the side as Dr. G pushed past him. "Loki, Tony already tried to get their attention," she said.

"Perhaps they were too busy to send anyone. Regardless, he did not know what warning to give." Loki stepped to the middle of the area and spoke loudly…surprisingly in English. "Heimdall! Tell Odin that the Casket of Ancient Winters must also be moved. The enemy can use it and either the Cube or the Gauntlet to open a gate. They must not reach the Gauntlet!"

… …

Loki took a step forward and staggered. Kara grabbed him and tried to hold him upright and almost went down herself under the weight she didn't really expect. Steve reached them and was able to prevent them both from hitting the floor of the balcony. "Crap, I forgot how heavy you are," she said as Loki looked down at her.

"You okay now?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Loki told him. He stared down at her as Steve nodded and returned inside. "Kara, should I start to go down again, let me fall. It will hurt me a great deal less than my landing on you will hurt you."

Kara harrumphed and pulled away. "You're welcome," she muttered.

He had the nerve to chuckle. "I do appreciate the thought, Kara, but I can't heal you if you are injured."

"Whereas, I can likely heal you. I get it, it's just…annoying."

"Yes, well, most find me so," he said quietly.

Her eyes flew to his. "That is not what I meant," she hissed. "You know that."

"Careful, my dear. Your friends will think you have an interest in more than my rehabilitation, can't have that, can we?" His tone was almost…snide.

"I really don't care what they think," she said.

He stopped moving and frowned down at her. "You should, Kara. I will be gone, eventually, and you will have to deal with what they think of you. I'm not worth their bad opinion or distrust of you."

Kara stopped, shocked into immobility by his words as he went back to his seat in front of the conference screen. "That's the problem," she whispered. "You've lost your self-worth." She moved to the edge of the balcony furthest downwind from the door. "Heimdall, if you're listening, you can tell that idiot king of yours that he screwed up royally. This is all his damn fault and I am pissed. He'd better keep his ass in Asgard, because if he causes any trouble for Loki here, he's going down, and you can just ask Thor if I can do it." While she didn't believe for a minute that anyone in Asgard could have heard her, letting off the steam felt damn good.

… …

Heimdall blinked. A mortal woman had called the All-Father an idiot, and threatened him, no less. He shook his head and waited for the runner he had sent to return with someone from the palace where Odin was addressing the populace in the golden Valhöll. He turned at the sound of hoof beats on the remains of the bridge behind him.

Fandral approached at breakneck speed, for once without the rest of the Warriors Three. "Ho, Heimdall, The All-Father needs Thor here, but I have news to take to our allies on Midgard." He dropped off of the horse.

"I have more news for the All-Father," Heimdall responded. "Do not send the horse back, I will need it, this news cannot be trusted to a messenger."

"Will the repairs hold?" Fandral asked.

"Long enough to get you there safely. You will need to remain until the All-Father can pull you back himself or until Thor can use the Cube. Beware of a mortal woman named Kara. She has threatened the All-Father and may be serving Loki."

Fandral laughed. "Truly? Hmm, Thor did say there was a healer by that name who had a warrior's power, but he seemed to approve of her." He shrugged. "Ah, well , I will keep my eyes open, thanks for the warning."

"Safe travels," Heimdall said and sent him on his way.

… …

Thor frowned as Heimdall strode into the Valhöll. "Who guards the bridge, old friend?" he asked.

"The bridge is the least of our worries. Come, we must speak urgently to your father."

Turning, Thor beckoned to Hogun. "Go, guard the bridge in Heimdall's absence." Hogun nodded and ran from the hall. "What is so urgent, Heimdall?" he asked as they strode to the chamber where Odin was taking reports.

"I have no wish to tell it twice, Odinson." The grim man looked at him. "What do you know of this mortal named Kara? Is she a threat to Asgard?"

"What? Of course not, she's a gifted healer and saved my brother's life. She is due great honor."

"She has threatened your father's life, and called him an idiot," Heimdall grated. "Has she the power to do harm to a god?"

Thor frowned, considering. In addition to experiencing her empathic projection of terror, he'd watched a demonstration of her ability to create an amazingly intense fire. "Probably, but she would not. She is an honorable woman and prefers to heal rather than harm." He looked to where Odin stood by a window, speaking quietly with Frigga. "Father, Heimdall brings grave news, he tells me."

"What is so grave that you have abandoned your post, Heimdall?" Odin asked, keeping his voice low. Thor winced at his father's subtle reminder to curb his habit of speaking loudly enough to be overheard.

Heimdall bowed respectfully. "Loki passed on an additional warning. He feels the Casket could also be used to anchor a gate and should be moved far from the Gauntlet."

"He is recovered then?" Frigga asked hopefully.

"Recovering, my lady. He nearly fell and needed the support of the mortal known as Captain America to remain standing."

"But still he found the strength to give us the warning we needed," Thor said. "See, father? He has had a change of heart, I know it."

"My son, he must be punished for the deaths he caused, change of heart or no."

"He was. He nearly died at our enemy's hands to bring us warning of their impending attacks."

"Odin, my husband. Has he not suffered enough?"

Thor nodded in agreement with his foster-mother. "He did suffer greatly, father, and he truly thought he would not survive delivering his first warning."

"It is not enough to avoid punishment altogether. But perhaps it is enough to earn some mercy. We shall see what can be done with him." Odin paused and looked down at his queen. "And for him," he added. "Heimdall, return to the bridge. If the repairs are still holding, send Hogun to Midgard to assist Fandral. If we thwart the attempt of the Chitauri to open a gate here, they will force one open to Midgard, and then use Midgard's fate and my promise to protect it to draw us out."


	11. Chapter 11

Loki frowned as Kara’s words drifted to him. They were far too faint for the mortals to hear, of course. Fool woman had the gall to challenge the All-Father, and for what? Him? He closed his eyes tiredly. Perhaps Thor would turn his father’s wrath away from her…assuming Heimdall took Kara’s threat seriously; it was possible he’d simply disregard it as a mortal’s empty bluster. He looked up as she dropped into the seat beside him. Kara still looked angry. “I’ve no doubt you were heard, my lady. Take care.”

She stared at him, her eyes wide. “Oh, your hearing is that good, hmm?” She shrugged. “I meant it, and I’m capable of carrying through with it.”

“I don’t doubt it, but truly, you do not want Odin as your enemy. Even power such as yours would only serve to make him angry.”

Kara’s smile was suspiciously serene. “You haven’t seen everything I can do.”

“Next steps, people,” the S.H.I.E.L.D. director called out from the screen. Loki found himself sympathizing with the man, at least somewhat. Directing this group was like trying to herd bilgesnipe: not only all but impossible, but dangerous. “Loki, what can we do about this?”

“Unless one of the sites lies in an area that we can cover by a minimum of four meters in saltwater, one of the sites will need to be either moved in some manner, or destroyed outright. The Cube, ah, tesseract as you call it, was buried in the ocean for many years from what I understand. This is why Midgard did not attract unwanted attention before.”

“Can we have the aerials on the two sites again, Jane?” Stark asked.

“This is the site where Thor and his friends came through,” the woman with Fury told them. Loki frowned. He’d expected Thor’s beloved to be more impressive. Certainly she was attractive for a mortal, but not memorably. “This first site is located just outside of Puente Antigua, a mostly ranching area southeast of Galisteo, New Mexico. There’s a design carved deep in the mesa, roughly round in shape, about ten meters wide. As you can see, there would be no way to submerge or move it.”

Loki examined the carving and frowned. “Let’s see the other one, destroying this one should not be our first option.”

“No problem,” Jane Foster said as a new image replaced the first. “This is the Bell Rock formation, near Sedona, Arizona. Mr. Stark can tell you what he found there.”

Stark looked up from where he’d been staring down at a glass of whiskey, brooding. “Just east of the actual Bell Rock, there’s another carving. It isn’t as large or as deep as the one in Galisteo, but the pattern is similar. Jarvis, drop another screen and display the aerial I took of that carving.”

“Of course, Sir,” the disembodied voice said as Loki frowned in annoyance. A screen dropped down on the other side of the main screen. Another carving in red rock was displayed. This one looked rougher even to the untrained eye.

“This is our target,” he decided. “Destroy this one immediately and you will buy Midgard what it needs most; time.”

“Why this one and not the other,” Fury asked.

“The egress point in New Mexico was created by the All-Father. He would be…unhappy to have that effort put to waste when another option was available.”

The entire group turned to stare at him. Fury looked…furious. The thought made him chuckle and deepened the director’s frown. “And why would Odin make an egress on Earth?” he bit out.

“Ah, well, to ensure quick passage when needed. The Bifröst is the power source we use to travel within the Nine Realms, or was before Thor destroyed it, but egress points are needed to transport multiple beings. This is one of those points.”

“I don’t think that answers the question, Loki,” Kara said softly.

He sighed. “Fine. History lesson. The people, and I do use that term loosely, of Midgard, would be the playthings of the other races in the Nine Realms were it not for the protection of Asgard. The Jötnar, the Ljósálfar and the Svartálfar...” He paused at the blank looks on most of the faces. “The Frost Giants and the Elves or Álfar, light and dark,” he clarified. “These groups were using Midgard and harshly, mostly for amusement. Odin rallied Asgard to put a stop to it. There was a great deal of warring, and many warriors of Asgard, including myself during the latter wars against the Svartálfar, fought to ensure that Midgard and its inhabitants were left alone to evolve or die without interference.”

“I see,” Fury commented. “So these egress points were created in various parts of the world to give Asgard’s warriors quick access should any of the other races try to go behind Odin’s back to play?”

“Correct.” Loki gestured at the third screen. “This one, however, was not made by Odin. I suspect one of the other races carved it and did not have the opportunity to use it as that would have alerted Heimdall and we would have seen it destroyed a millennia ago.”

“Okay, people. Let’s get it done,” Fury ordered.

… …

“Stark, can you take this? You’re best equipped for it,” the Capsicle asked.

Tony frowned at the red, white and blue clad boy scout. “Sure, Cap. No problem. Anything else I need to know first?” His glance around the room netted nothing but shrugs, oh, and a frown from Reindeer Games. “Well, then I’ll just suit up and head out.”

“The remains of the rock will need to be transported out of the area, at least another four hundred kilometers away from the Puente Antigua carving,” their unwelcome guest said. “While destroying the carving would prevent them from locating it again, the energy in it may reside in the actual rock at this point and might be able to be used since that location has already been confirmed.”

“Okay, that makes as much sense as any of this does. Better safe than sorry.”

Fury had turned away to a screen in the background. “I’ll have transport for the rock remains meet you there. The National Guard is clearing the area of people and securing it so you won’t have any interference, and we’ve notified the appropriate authorities to expect to pick you up on their instruments.”

“Sounds good.” He knocked back the last of his drink and headed for his launch area. “Bruce, can you let Pepper know where I am? She’s in an acquisition conference right now and can’t be disturbed.”

“No problem.”

… …

Loki was staring out the window when she brought a plate over to the table for him. He frowned down at it once she had set it down. “Did you cook this as well?” he asked.

“No, since so many of us are here, Pepper called Tony’s personal chef in. I’m decent with a few things, but I know my limits.”

“So good to know you actually have limits.” He speared a piece of meat with his fork, chewed it slowly, then swallowed. “Am I too dangerous to be allowed a knife?” he muttered, his tone matching the annoyance that rolled off of him in waves.

Kara tried not to sigh. “No, I just forgot to grab one. I’m sure you could cause just as many problems with a fork of you were so inclined.” He didn’t respond, but at least he was eating. “I’ll go get the knife. You have a choice of juice, milk or water to drink. The M.D. looked at your blood work and after he got over the fact that he wasn’t looking at human blood, recommended against anything alcoholic or containing caffeine yet.”

Loki’s frown intensified until it was just short of a glare. “What kind of juice?”

“Um, we have apple or pomegranate.”

“Pomegranate will do.”

She headed back for the kitchen, reminding herself to have patience.

… …

“Sir, we have a report from S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on the ground in Puente Antigua,” Jarvis informed him.

“What’s happening there?” Tony asked as he studied the area surrounding the carving.

“A man has appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. One of the agents recalls seeing him in town when Thor Odinson faced the automaton.”

“An Asgardian, then? Guess Heimdall finally passed on the message. Why send him to New Mexico, though…oh. Never mind. Patch me through to Fury.”

“Fury here.”

“This is your friendly identified flying object. Do you want me to check out the newcomer once I’m done here?”

Tony smirked inside his helmet at Fury’s sigh. “No. Romanov and Barton are in route. Just get that carving destroyed. We’ve got a Quinjet modified to carry cargo ready to remove the rock.”

“Copy that. Heh, always wanted to say that.”

“Stark…”

“Keep your pants on, chief. I’m slagging the carving with lasers as we speak, then I’ll bust it up with a few low-level charges. Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”

“Report back in before you head to New York.”

“Will do.”

… …

Frowning down at his empty plate, Loki forced himself to set the fork down gently. His thoughts kept going back to the damned woman. She’d done something to him, he was certain of it. Standing, he moved between the table and the window and stared back out at the city. Based on the view, he was below the lounge area where he had been forced to allow the beast to smash him into the floor without retaliating or escaping using his power. The door to the suite opened. She was back. “What are you doing to me?” he asked without turning around.

“What?” The woman sounded surprised. Likely surprised she had been caught.

“You have been manipulating me, using the excuse of giving me energy to aid in my physical recovery. Why?”

“I _am_ giving you energy to help you recover physically, no more, no less than that. I wouldn’t know how to do anything else,” she claimed.

He laughed quietly. “Why does everyone lie to me? Do you think me stupid? I assure you, doctor, I am not. Do you think to keep me placid until Odin can bring me home to face the Court’s tribunal? If that’s the case, leave off. I have no intention of avoiding my fate. There’s nothing else left for me at this point.”

“I-I don’t understand. Why do you think I’m manipulating you? What’s happening that you think I’m violating every principal I believe in?” she asked, an obviously faked note of stress creeping into her voice.

“Taking acting lessons from Agent Romanov? She is far more convincing.”

“Loki Odinson, I don’t know what bug has crawled up your ass, but you need to get over…”

“Do not call me that!” She cringed back satisfactorily as he spun and advanced toward her. “I am not his son, and never could be.”

The woman’s demeanor shifted. “Fine. Would you prefer Laufeyson? Do you really want to be called after the man who abandoned you to die? I’m sure he’d be so thrilled.”

“He’d be nothing of the sort as he’s dead. I killed him.”

She sighed. “I know. Thor mentioned that you killed your birth father to save your adoptive father.”

“Perhaps I chose the wrong man to save. Odin abandoned me as well when he threw me into the void.”

“He didn’t throw you into the void. He wasn’t even touching you when you…”

“I was there, woman! Do not presume to know what happened. I am certain my _dear brother_ told you what he wanted you to believe.”

“Okay, I’m going to take a walk before you really succeed in pissing me off.” She turned and strode towards the door.

“I did not give you permission to leave.”

“That’s fine, because I didn’t ask for it,” she said without looking back. He reached out with the power that had been slowing trickling back and slammed the door. She stopped for a moment then moved to reopen it physically. He held it closed as she turned to face him. “I am the only person who has been willing or able to help you that hasn’t given up on the job. Don’t push me, Loki. Let the damned door go.”

“I don’t need you.”

“You don’t know what you need.”

… …

Kara closed the door behind her and collapsed against the wall in the corridor, shaking. “Hey, kiddo, what’s wrong,” Bruce asked as he left an open doorway down the hall a bit.

“I wish I knew, Bruce, I really do.” She put her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths.

“Kara, come on, talk to me,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She straightened. “I-am I using my empathic gift to manipulate Loki?”

His jaw dropped. “What? Why would you think that?”

“Somehow he’s convinced that’s what I’m doing. I’m not sure why. Maybe I am, somehow?”

“You’d never do that.”

“God, Bruce. I’m so confused. I want to help him, I really do, but I don’t know if I can.”

He sighed. “Kara, I’m not a shrink, but I’m a good listener. Why don’t we go sit down and talk.”

She crossed her arms in front of her. “Yeah. That-that’s a good idea. Jarvis, initiate lockdown of my suite, please.”

“Lockdown initiated.”

… …

Bruce led the way into his sitting room. “Have a seat, you want some tea?”

“Sure. Tea would be good.”

When he came back from the kitchen Kara was staring morosely at the wall his suite shared with hers. “Here you go, just how you like it.” She didn’t look at the mug. “Earth to Kara?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry. When did I start screwing it up?” she asked.

He thought about how to answer. “I’m not sure that you are.”

“Oh, I am, trust me,” Kara insisted. “He’s all over the place. One minute he’s quiet, almost kind, and the next, paranoia kicks in and you’d think I was some manipulative bitch from hell. He seriously believes that I’m using my abilities to control him.” She took a sip of the tea and sat back. “Honestly, I don’t think that I could, but maybe I’m wrong? Maybe I made him feel as he seemed to…no, why would I do that? I didn’t want him to…God, what a mess.”

“Is he bipolar, maybe?”

“It doesn’t _feel_ that way.”

“Okay, so help me here. What does he think you were making him feel?”

“Attracted to me.”

“Oh for…Kara, you’re a beautiful woman, he’d have to be gay to not be attracted to you at least until he remembered that you’re human. Oh.”

“What?”

“When did he start making this accusation? After the meeting?”

She sighed. “Yes.”

“Okay, that…makes sense, actually. So, let’s break it down.”

Kara snorted. “That’s my line.”

“I know, I figured it must work.”

“Okay, fine. Break it down for me.”

Bruce smiled. Her hands were no longer clenched, that was a good sign. “Loki arrives here, mostly dead, not all dead, just mostly dead.”

“Have you been watching eighties movies with Tony?” she demanded.

“Guilty. He’s blown his last wad of power to get here, gasps out his warning to the first person he’s conscious enough to notice, then passes out, expecting to die.”

“Yep.”

“Next thing he knows, he’s lying in a bed, weak as a kitten, with a beautiful woman passed out on top of him and he’s told she saved his life. He loses consciousness yet again.” Kara was sitting back with her arms crossed, waiting for him to continue. “Okay, next time he comes to, same beautiful woman lying on him again. He’s told that she’s exhausting herself trying to help him. You see where I’m going with this?”

“Yes, guilt and gratitude. That’s a powerful combination.”

“Plus he’s weaker than he’s ever been in his life, so your life force, mortal as it is, seems powerful to him. He starts developing an attraction to you.” Bruce chuckled as Kara scrunched up her face. “Oh, come on. Have you never had a crush on a young handsome doctor?”

“Okay, yes, I can see that,” she admitted.

“Same woman is genuinely trying to help him, shares her own tragic history with him, and it’s a history guaranteed to put any decent man into protective mode. A decent man is going to wish he could be her hero, even if she’s capable of taking care of herself and in fact, did so.”

Kara’s jaw dropped. “Oh. He did make a comment about my saving him the trouble of tracking them down and killing them.” Her smile was small and sad, but it was there. “You’re pretty good at this, did you ever consider studying psychology?”

“Yes, I looked into it as an undergrad,” he admitted. “But I had too many anger issues.” Bruce smiled as she groaned. “So, our problem child is now filled with urges to pay back the woman who saved him and to be her hero. He’s physically recovering at this point, so his libido kicks in.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly. The perfect storm.”

“So, he didn’t care about me really, he was just reacting to impulses dictated by all of the emotional input, oh, I am so stupid. Why didn’t I see this? I treat people for this crap and I do it well.”

He shrugged. “The same reason you’re still struggling with your PTSD. It’s really hard to be objective when you’re one of the players.”

“So what triggered the sudden change in attitude?”

“You did. After he passed on his second warning to Asgard, which gave him a subliminal reminder that he wasn’t one of us, you stayed outside. Why?”

She squirmed in the chair. “I was…crap, Bruce. I’ve lost all objectivity. I was pissed on his behalf. I, well, more or less threatened Odin.”

“And Loki heard it.”

“Yes. He warned me to back down, that I didn’t want to take on Odin.”

“Probably a good idea. But let’s look at it this way. You kind of forcibly reminded him that you are mortal. He has a condescending attitude towards mortals at the least, or may well detest us completely, it’s hard to tell.”

“So, if he’s feeling any kind of attraction for a mere mortal, then obviously someone must be somehow forcing or manipulating him into feeling it?”

“Bingo.”


	12. Chapter 12

Loki stared out the window, ignoring Dr. Nassar’s latest question, as he ignored most of them. He wasn’t certain if the doctor would ever ask about the case studies he’d left him to read, or if the irritating man would wait for him to bring it up. The psychiatrist had been visiting once a day since Dr. Gunnarssen - Kara, had left the tower. He began to sigh; catching himself he stretched his neck and massaged the ache in his right shoulder to disguise it.

“Are you in pain, Loki?” the mortal asked, a note of concern in his voice.

“No more than usual.”

“How long have you had this pain?”

After glancing at the clock imbedded in the far wall Loki smirked and answered “For approximately thirty-eight minutes.”

Nassar smiled. “Have you had this pain at the same time every day?” he asked.

“I am not having psychosomatic reactions to your presence if that is what you are inferring,” he snapped, and twisted his shoulders to crack his neck and relieve some of the growing tension.

The human’s eyes widened slightly. “Dr. Gunnarssen’s notes mentioned issues with the dampening circuitry, has that worsened?”

He stood and paced the room, stretching as best he could in its confines. “Daily.”

“Jarvis, disengage the lockdown protocol immediately, authorization Raj Nassar, M.D.,” the doctor said.

Loki turned to stare as the AI responded. “Lockdown protocol disengaged, doctor.”

The dissonance dropped off immediately, but the damage from this round was already done. His nerves were on fire. If he didn’t need to be where Thor could find him when Odin finally decided to bring him back before the tribunal, he’d have left. His power had rebuilt sufficiently to override the dampening technology and shift out of the area without doing himself too much damage. He dropped back into the armchair rubbing his temples. “Not afraid of me, doctor?”

The man shrugged. “Not any more than with the lockdown in effect. You could easily have killed me physically before anyone could enter.”

“You’ve yet to give me reason to,” Loki responded dryly.

“I do have a finely honed sense of self-preservation,” Nassar agreed. Loki opened his eyes to stare at the slender therapist. The man’s chocolate-colored eyes stared back at him unwaveringly and a slight smile turned up one corner of his mouth.

“Apparently so. Tell me, doctor, why do you care about my pain?”

“Because I _am_ a doctor. It’s not just my job; it’s my calling to relieve suffering.”

“Ah, yes. Psychiatrists are medical doctors as well as therapists.” This time Loki allowed the sigh to escape. “You are not going to ask if I’ve read the case studies, are you?”

… …

Raj let his smile deepen. The patience taught him by his Indian-born maternal grandfather and London-born mother had paid off again. The fish out of water existence he had lived with his Hindu mother and Lebanese Muslim father in largely Anglican England also helped him avoid the cultural traps that dealing with someone of another ethnicity, or in this case species, could bring. “If you hadn’t felt it worth mentioning, why would I bother you with it?”

“Do you think…no, obviously you _do_ think that I experienced something similar to these patients or you would not have asked me to read them.” The Asgardian prince grimaced. “So simple a thing as gratitude, is it?” he continued, dropping his head back on the chair and staring at the ceiling. His chuckle was bitter. “It was a weakness to allow such a thing to happen.”

“No, it was natural. Regardless of the species, living beings from those who barely have the capability to use tools up to those capable of higher thought all have the capacity for gratitude. And the depth of the gratitude, well, you were all but dead, if you recall.”

“Regardless, it’s a relief to know that I do not have any true feelings for this mortal. You have been helpful,” Loki told him grudgingly.

“Ah, that is not necessarily the case, Loki, I’m sorry if you misunderstood.”

That earned him a sharp look from narrowed green eyes. “Explain.”

He’d have to step carefully here. “The type of situation that encourages a feeling or emotion to develop does not necessarily affect whether that feeling or emotion is genuine. Only time can reveal whether this attraction you feel for Dr. Gunnarssen is simply a gratitude inspired infatuation or something deeper.” Loki frowned and cracked his neck for what had to be the tenth time in the past fifteen minutes. “Are you still in pain?”

“It will fade, as will these…false feelings, I’ve no doubt.”

“I’d like to run a scan to determine…”

“No.”

“I’m concerned about nerve damage. That could cause permanent issues for you.”

“I’m a god, doctor. I will heal.” The self-proclaimed god smirked. “If you are that concerned, have Dr. Gunnarssen return. Her gifts can speed my healing.”

“We’ve discussed this. Your belief that Dr. Gunnarssen manipulated you is detrimental…”

“And I’ve read your case studies and have accepted that my belief was unfounded. Bring her back.”

“I can’t do that; it would be detrimental for _her_ mental well-being.” Raj continued. “Do you understand that a professional must retain their objectivity with regards to the patients they treat?” Loki ignored him and turned his head to stare out the window again. “Loki, your accusations gave her cause to doubt herself. She can no longer treat you, not even as an energy healer.”

“Then I-I have wronged the woman, I should apologize.” The voice was cold and hard. “Surely an apology would serve us both well, doctor?”

… …

“Sir, Dr. Nassar has disengaged the lockdown from Loki’s suite,” Jarvis informed him.

“The hell you say.” Tony Stark pushed away from his workbench and touched the screen to his right. A view of Kara Gunnarssen’s – Loki’s suite displayed. Loki was slouched in the armchair, one hand behind his neck, wearing a somewhat pained version of his normal superior expression. Raj was seated in one of the wrought iron chairs, leaning slightly forward in what appeared to be an earnest pose, speaking emphatically, but not urgently. “Humph, doesn’t look like there’s a problem. Noted, Jarvis. I’ll check with Dr. Nassar when the session is done. Alert me and open the inner door for Hogun if Snidely makes any threatening moves towards the doctor.”

“Of course, Sir.”

He switched the view to the corridor outside of the suite. The taciturn warrior was standing with his arms crossed, hands resting on weapons, staring at the closed inner door. “Yo, Hogun,” Tony greeted once he’d activated the audio. “Everything looks cool in there, Jarvis will pop the inner door open for you if that changes.” Hogun’s mouth twisted into a grimace, but he didn’t otherwise respond. “Ah, cool, you know, because he’s half Jötunn,  get it?”

Hogun’s eyes closed briefly. “I indeed ‘get it’, man of iron. I am ignoring your foolishness.” 

Tony closed the audio connection. “No one appreciates genius anymore.”

“I appreciate it,” Pepper said from behind him.

He swiveled his work stool to face her. “That’s good to know. My, you are looking absolutely ravishing, what’s the occasion?”

She sighed. “The benefit for the small-business owners who have had insurance claims denied under act of war exclusions; you are supposed to be there in fifteen minutes. Why aren’t you looking debonair yet?”

“I hate benefits. All they want is for me to write a check. Tell you what, I’ll write the check, you deliver it, and we’ll all be happy.”

“I won’t be happy. Besides which, they want to see the man who saved the city. Get your tux on, playboy. Don’t forget to trim your goatee, it’s gotten ragged.”

“And what do I get out of this?” he grumped half-heartedly.

“The satisfaction of doing a good deed.” She smiled when he snorted. “A chance to bask in the adulation of your adoring public,” Pepper amended.

Tony stood, wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her cheek. “Better…”

“And a chance to see how ravishing I look under the lovely outfit I’ve charged to your account after we get back.”

He blinked, decided to ignore the comment about who was paying for the dress, and grinned. “Now _that_ is an incentive. Give me ten.”

… …

Raj stopped in surprise as Tony Stark and Pepper Potts stepped off the elevator dressed in elegant evening attire. “Raj,” Tony began. “Talk to me. Why did you lift the lockdown?”

“I don’t believe it’s useful, and it’s causing unnecessary pain to the patient.”

“Ooookay. Now, let’s _pretend_ I don’t care how much pain Gozer is in. Why isn’t it useful? We’re supposed to be containing him until Goldilocks gets his royal patootie back here.”

Raj smiled. “I’m not on Kara’s level, but I am a sensitive.” Stark spread his hands questioningly. “I cannot use energy, but I can feel it. Quite frankly, Tony, Loki is still with us because he wishes to be.” His smile broadened as the color drained from the billionaire’s face. “Director Fury has agreed to meet with us in his office tomorrow morning regarding new developments. Please be there, nine sharp.”

Stark stared at him for a moment then looked down the hall to where the Asgardian currently on duty, Hogun, stood waiting. “Hey, Samurai, is that true? Is Loki able to pull from his bag of tricks again?”

Hogun shrugged. “That I do not know. But I agree; his demeanor is such that he is here of his own free will.”

“So we can safely leave the lockdown off?” Tony asked.

The Asgardian’s smile was grim and did not reach his eyes. “There is nothing safe when it comes to the god of Lies and Mischief.”

“Okay, Christ, I don’t have time for this right now. Uh, Hogun, if he tries anything and you think it will help; Jarvis will initiate the lockdown for you. Quite frankly, I don’t give a shit if it causes him pain, capiche?”

“He means do you understand,” Raj supplied at Hogun’s puzzled look.

“Understood.”

… …

Kara hated mystery meetings, particularly when they were called by Nick Fury, or in this case his shadow-in-command, Maria Hill. She suppressed a groan as she saw the last…well, the next to last person on Earth she wanted to run into come around the corner. “But, my lady,” Fandral said to Natasha, who was scowling. “Surely a warrior of your skill would welcome the company of a warrior who can match her in _every way_?”

Natasha’s eyes narrowed and Kara winced. Fandral seemed to be making a play for every reasonably attractive woman he encountered. He’d already been threatened by Tony for his attentions to Pepper, but the man had obviously learned nothing. Fortunately, Hawkeye was nowhere in the vicinity. Natasha would be free to discourage him on her own without getting angry at Clint for interfering. Suddenly Nat’s lips quirked in a very feline, feral grin, uh oh. “You are so right. I would, now, where has Hogun gotten to? Oh, wait; he’s guarding Loki. Hmm, I suppose I’ll need to wait for Thor’s return.” Fandral stopped short with a forlorn expression as Nat quickened her pace. “Is he still following?” she hissed.

“No. Heading to Fury’s meeting?” Kara told her.

“Where else. Shall we?”

She grinned and accompanied the other redhead down the hall. Fandral was still staring at the Black Widow’s purposely swaying hips as they left him behind. “Any idea what the meeting is about?” Kara asked.

“I thought you would know, Raj Nassar asked for it.”

“Hmm, no, he didn’t share. That’s disturbing.” They entered the Director’s office and found Nick and Raj waiting for them, as well as Agent Hill and all of the Avengers other than Thor and Stark. She checked the clock. “Oh, good, we’re not late.”

“No,” Fury agreed. “Stark is about to be. Have you seen…” he trailed off as Fandral strode into the room, his exuberance fully restored.

The roguish Asgardian looked around the room and then quickly claimed a seat directly across from Hill. This, she thought, was going to be entertaining. “Ah, lovely lady, might I know your name?” he asked, his features assuming a love-struck look.  

Maria frowned at him. “Agent Hill,” she said coldly and turned her attention back to the touchpad she held.

… …

Nick Fury frowned at the Asgardian version of Errol Flynn. “Okay, people. We have a dilemma. Dr. Nassar is of the opinion that…” he broke off as Stark strolled in. The billionaire was wearing black jeans topped by a ratty dark grey sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed up over his forearms. The reactor’s glow was muted by the fabric. “Stark, do you not have clocks in your tower?”

His shrug was nonchalant. “Of course, but you can’t rush genius.”

Clenching his jaw, Nick continued. “Dr. Nassar informs me that the power dampening technology is only marginally effective on Loki. In addition, it may be causing him nerve damage. I do not want to explain to Thor why we subjected his brother to nerve damage if there is no justification for it.” He glanced at Dr. Gunnarssen who had paled. “Doctor? You have a comment?”

She sighed. “Not a constructive one, no.”

Fandral’s annoying good humor had been squelched. “Director, if your technology cannot contain him, then the most Hogun or I could do is delay him should he get it in his head to cause problems here. Blade to blade we are more than his match, but unfettered, he will use magic we cannot counter.”

Frowning, Nick watched Nassar and Gunnarssen confer in whispers. “Doctors?”

Raj Nassar's smile was small, but it was there. “I do not believe we will have any problems, Loki wants to be there. He has had every opportunity to do harm to me, yet has not given in to his annoyance with my presence, and I assure you, I have been terribly annoying to him.”

“And you recommend that the lockdown protocol not be engaged?”

“I must insist that it not be engaged.”

Stark sighed. “He’s gotten to you too, Raj? I didn’t think you swung that way.”

“Hardly. Loki refused to allow me to run a diagnostic scan on him to confirm my theory. However, I ran one on Kara last week. It is slight, but she has already suffered nerve damage from her exposure to the technology and that exposure was minimal. Loki has been subjected to it daily for two weeks now. We cannot, in good conscience, continue to cause harm, particularly since there is no purpose in it.”

… …

Tony frowned and rubbed a hand over his face. “Shit. Kara, I’m sorry, I had no idea.”

“Forget it, Tony,” she told him. “You had no way of knowing and I did volunteer. But now that you know what it does…”

“Yeah, I know; back to the drawing board.” He stared at her for a moment. “Okay, being objective, if you can, should I clear all but necessary personnel from the tower?”

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence. Pepper is my friend. Do you really think I wouldn’t tell you if I thought she wasn’t safe?”

“You were the one who was in…”

“Don’t go there, Tony,” she warned, then broke off and pressed her fingers against her left temple.

“Kara?” Nassar said. “How bad?”

“Sharp, deep. It’s fading now.”

“You were trying to suppress again?” Raj continued.

“Duh. The last thing I want to do is set something on fire in the middle of the Helicarrier.”

Tony swallowed. “Jesus, Kara. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“You never mean to hurt people, yet you do it repeatedly. It’s getting old,” she muttered.

“Yeah. Hey, Raj, when you disengaged the lockdown, I checked on you and Loki was in pain, just like Kara. Does that mean he was suppressing the urge to use some kind of mojo?”

“It does. As a therapist, I tend to annoy my patients by insisting they face truths they’d rather ignore. He was in pain frequently as a result.”

“Okay, what the hell. The lockdown stays off.”

… …

“There is one other thing we need to discuss,” Raj told the group.

“I’ve told you my opinion on that, Dr. Nassar,” Fury grated.

“You have. I do not agree with it.” He waited, staring into the director’s one eye until he gave a sharp nod. “Loki has requested a visit from Dr. Gunnarssen. He now accepts that he was mistaken and wishes to apologize to her. I believe that such an apology would benefit both of them.”

Dr. Banner looked up from where he’d been scribbling on his touchpad. “Kara, can you handle that?”

She sighed. “I don’t know, but I think I should go, regardless.”

“I don’t like it,” Stark interjected.

“Stark, stand down,” Captain Rogers spoke up for the first time. He had been sitting quietly at the far end of the table with Natasha Romanov and Clint Barton. Raj had noticed the trio paying close attention to everything, but declining to get involved in the discussion. “Your opinion…”

“It’s my tower, I’m entitled to my opinion, Flag Boy. I’m the one whose digs are going to get trashed, again, I might add, if our nut job of a guest loses it.”

“Doc,” Clint asked, looking at Kara. “Can you and will you shut him down if he loses it?”

“Yes. I won’t let anyone get hurt.”

“Even if you have to hurt him?”

Her eyes drifted closed for a moment before she looked Barton in his. “If he acts out, I will make him stop, no matter what it takes.”

Hawkeye exchanged a glance with Natasha Romanov, who nodded, and then he looked to Captain Rogers. “I say let her visit.”

Raj looked around the table. Stark was obviously unhappy, as was Fury. The rest of the group was either noncommittal or grudgingly approving. “Can you clear your schedule this afternoon, Kara?”


	13. Chapter 13

“What the hell…” Kara muttered as she walked into her outer office and found a metallic outfit hanging from a hook over the door that connected to her therapy room.

“Do you like it?” Tony Stark said from behind her.

“Um, I don’t know. What is it?”

He sighed. “It’s a uniform. You know, all the big kids have them.”

“I’m not a real member of the Avengers, Tony.”

“Of course you are. But you’re a little…uh…”

“Vulnerable when I’m not able to react quickly enough to use my abilities?”

“Exactly. Hence the suit. It won’t protect you completely from broken bones, but bullets and other non-explosive projectiles, bladed weapons, shrapnel, that sort of thing will be deflected for the most part. You’d bruise and maybe get a cracked rib or whatever, but you’d survive all of those things.”

Kara leaned closer to poke at it. The surface was covered with overlapping scales, much like depictions of dragons. It was gold in tone, but with a peculiar iridescence that made it shimmer with reds and oranges as she turned it under the light. “Looks like it’s on fire…appropriate.” She looked back at him. “Whose idea was this?”

“Uh, well, it was a group effort. Banner reminded us all that even though your offensive gifts were radical, you didn’t have any real defense. The Black Widow pointed out that you had no martial arts and only some basic self defense training so you couldn’t count on instincts to protect you. Hawkeye told us he could take you out at a distance; even if you saw him he’d be able to get you before you could take him down.  Rogers suggested the scales, your firestarter ability reminds him of dragons, and Pepper chose the coloring and supplied your measurements.”

“And you?”

He bowed. “Yours truly provided the technical know-how, the overall design, the actual construction, and paid the bills. And let me tell you, trying to test the damn thing without you seeing it has been a bitch. It has the same alloy in the scales as the Mark XIV, so your outfit won’t get scorched by your own work. We don’t have to worry about it roasting you with the heat since you can adjust your own body temperature. Have I told you that’s the part I envy about your whole package of abilities?”

“No, but I can imagine it would be. Your spoiled rich boy butt does love to be comfortable.”

“Hey, I resemble that remark!” Tony dropped down to his knees and gave her his puppy dog look. “So, am I forgiven for being an ass?”

Kara sighed. “You’re just going to be an ass again before the day is out. It’s part and parcel of your personality. I really don’t know how Pepper puts up with you.” His pout intensified. “Oh, crap. Fine, you’re forgiven, now knock that off.”

He scrambled to his feet, chuckling. “Seriously, Kara, I’m only harping on the whole Loki thing because I’m worried about you. I know I’ve known you less than two months, but you’re like a little sister to me, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I’m a big girl, Tony. If I get hurt, it’s my own damn fault, okay?”

“Can I kill the bastard if he purposely hurts you?”

“Only if he does it physically.” She glared at him as he started to interrupt. “I mean it. If he fools me emotionally, that’s on me. I’m the damned empath, I should be able to tell, and if I can’t, it’s my bad. Got it?”

She waited as he thought about it. “Okay, I’ve got it. I don’t like it, but I’ll back off.” Tony grabbed the uniform and handed it to her. “Suit up and I’ll fly you to Stark Tower.”

… …

Loki frowned as he stared out the window. Stark was flying in, carrying someone dressed in an outfit that shimmered metallically in the sun. It was a woman, that much he could tell, the armor was formfitting. But the head was fully covered and a reflective visor prevented him from seeing her face. When the sun hit her it looked like she was on…fire. Kara. He stood and glared as they came in for a landing on the balcony a floor above and to the left of his position. Stark’s armored hands were holding his passenger securely, but not in an overly familiar manner. He relaxed, sat back down and picked up his book. “Jarvis, where is Dr. Gunnarssen,” he asked after reading a few chapters to give the pair time to enter and remove their armor.

“Dr. Gunnarssen is in the testing facility with Mr. Stark, your highness.”

He snorted softly. The system was programmed for politeness and etiquette, and used it, unlike its creator. “Thank you.” Loki felt mildly foolish responding with courtesies to the AI, but the thing seemed to be far more cooperative if he did so. Looking at the clock he decided a bath was in order. He’d been informed that Kara’s visit would take place at two o’clock and it was just past noon. No doubt her new armor was in need of testing.

… …

Kara left the armor with Tony for follow-up testing after her debut flight and stopped in the guest room that now housed most of her spare clothing to change from the sweatpants and tee shirt she’d worn under the tight suit. She had a new appreciation for Tony’s typical jeans and sweat or tee shirt ensemble. Approaching her old suite, she found Fandral on duty. Damn. “Good afternoon, Fandral,” she managed with as neutral a tone as possible.

“My lady,” he returned with a slight bow and a flirtatious smile. “I shall be ready to assist you, should you need it. Simply call and I will…”

She held up a hand to cut him off. “I won’t need assistance. Didn’t Thor tell you I put him on his knees with little effort?”

Fandral shifted uncomfortably. “He did, but…”

“He wasn’t exaggerating. You can stand down and take a break. I’ve got this.” He didn’t move. “Fandral, that wasn’t a request. “Go. Away. Now.” she insisted, putting steel into her voice.

His eyes widened. Thor had told them to do what they were told by members of the Avengers Initiative, he and Hogun had admitted as much when they’d arrived. Finally, the man sighed. “As you wish, my lady.” He spun and strode down the hall to the suite the two Asgardians shared.

She shook her head and opened the door to her old suite. Loki was nowhere to be found in the bedroom/sitting room combination area. Walking across the room she noticed a few changes. There were more and larger rugs on the floor. A bookshelf had been moved in and held a small selection of hardbound books. A computer keyboard sat on the table, along with a wireless mouse. Taking another step she kicked over a small stack of books she hadn’t seen on the floor. “Crap,” she muttered as it tumbled over.

“Damnation. Does no one in this tower have the simple courtesy to knock?” she heard Loki snarl from the bathroom.

“Excuse me; you’re the one who asked me to visit. If you’ve changed your mind I’ll leave,” she huffed before thinking about it and spun to head back out the door.

“Wait,” he said from behind her. The door refused to open. “I thought it was Stark again. I apologize. I was not expecting you for another hour.”

She sighed and tried not to shiver at the change in his tone. Turning, her resolution to remain in control faltered. His face was no longer bruised or drawn and he stood tall and strong. Damn, he looked…mouthwatering. “I didn’t think you’d mind if I was early.”

“No, of course not.” He stood, staring at her, his expression pensive.

“So, I’m here.”

“You are. I-would you like to sit?” he asked.

“Depends. Why?”

“Oh for…” he stopped and frowned. “I asked you here because I’ve learned I accused you unjustly. I now understand that you did not manipulate me in any way.”

Kara stared at him, trying to read what lay beneath his controlled exterior. He was in total turmoil. Good, at least she wasn’t the only one. “Apology accepted. Are we done here?”

“What? No…I mean…that…” he trailed off, looking miserable. “That wasn’t a sufficient apology for the hurt I unintentionally inflicted. I made you feel that you could not control your abilities when I already knew you considered yourself a monster. That was…uncalled for.”

Her eyes closed. He actually understood what he’d done, and it felt as if he really regretted it. Would wonders never cease? “I’m glad you can see that.”

He shrugged. “I-I owe you a secret,” he said. “You shared what you hated most about yourself. I should return that confidence.”

“Should I sit down?”

Loki smiled. “Probably. It will be something of a shock.”

“Okay.” She crossed the room to the chairs that still sat by the window. He followed and she shivered as a wave of cold flowed from behind her. Turning to see where it was coming from she gasped. Loki’s skin had turned a cool cyan blue; it looked smoother for the most part, and less supple. Slight ridges had arisen along the brow line and cheek bones. Even more surprising was the liquid blood red color of both his irises and sclera. Lifting a hand, she reached out to touch him.

“No!” he said and backpedaled; almost falling over the stack of books she had knocked over earlier. Only the wrought iron footboard of the bed saved him from landing on his rear. The metal frosted over.

Kara flinched back. “Fine, you don’t have to yell. I get it; you don’t want the mortal laying hands on you.” As hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep the hurt out of her voice, damn it.

Loki regained his feet and sighed. “That’s not it at all. You could have been badly hurt. I don’t want you losing fingers or even your entire arm to frostbite.”

“Oh. Are-are you really that cold?” she asked.

He gave her a confused look. “Yes, can you not feel it?”

She shrugged. “Well, kind of. Remember the eggs?” Kara waited until he nodded. “I can adjust my body temperature in a similar way, it’s automatic. I don’t need a coat in the winter, though I usually wear a lightweight one just so I don’t freak people out and attract unwanted attention.” She stepped closer. “I’d really like to try and touch you if you don’t mind. I promise I’ll pull back if I have any doubt about it being safe.”

… …

Could she really touch him without harm? That would be…interesting. “Very well. But please, err on the side of caution. I have no wish to be blamed for injuring you.”

Kara smiled up at him. “I will. And you tell me if the heat is too much. I don’t want to hurt you either.”

“Fair enough.” He stood and braced himself to ensure he wouldn’t flinch back from her touch. She raised her hand and moved it slowly toward him.

“Hold up your hand like this,” she said, demonstrating. He mirrored the stop-like gesture and waited. “Okay, here goes.” She moved her hand closer a bit at a time, seeming to test her tolerance. “Too much heat?” she asked.

He could feel her palm radiating a great deal of heat, but it felt comfortable. “No, it’s fine.”

“Good.”

Her hot palm touched his cold one and he shivered. “You, your hand isn’t freezing,” he whispered incredulously.

Kara smiled. “No, it feels cold, but not painfully so.” Too soon she pulled her hand away, examined it then held it up for him to see. “No damage whatsoever.”

“Amazing.” He was staring at her hand, shocked, and almost didn’t realize she’d started to move again until she was centimeters from him. “Kara, what…” he broke off as her free hand touched his face.

“Your skin…except for the ridges it’s so smooth, like glass, and so much harder than when you’re in your Asgardian form.” She smiled and stroked his jaw. “Except for that, and the coloring, you still look just like you.”

“Æsir, Thor’s people are called Æsir. My so-called Æsir form is a lie. I’m not Æsir. I’m not even a proper Jötunn, I’m deformed.”

“You are not a deformed Jötunn. You’re half Asgardian, uh Æsir and half Jötunn. We did a full DNA work up on you. We’re absolutely positive.”

Half? He let the knowledge wash through him. It wasn’t Odin’s magic that had given him an Æsir appearance; it was a natural part of him. He shook his head slightly and closed his eyes in an effort to accept this new reality. His eyes flew back open as soft lips brushed against his. “Kara?” he whispered.

“You’re not a monster, Loki,” she told him, her upturned face scant centimeters from his. “You’re just different.” He let himself relax as she kissed him again. “And you’re beautiful…in either form.” He groaned as her heat seeped through him in more ways than one. Crushing her to his chest, he deepened the kiss, tangling one hand in her hair. She granted him entrance to her mouth and he took full advantage, plundering it with his tongue, swallowing her sudden pleasured moans. Her head dropped back as he released her lips and Loki feasted on the soft skin of her bared neck. Her pounding pulse beckoned and he nipped and sucked above the vein until she shuddered in his grasp. One of her graceful hands clung to his neck, the other was pressed flat against his chest…pushing him away?

… …

“God, Loki, stop. Dizzy, have to…” she gasped.

Loki let her slide down until her feet were back on the floor, but her legs wouldn’t hold her. His strong arms scooped her up and she soon felt the bedspread beneath her. “Kara, what’s wrong, are you hurt?”

She blinked and struggled to focus. A warm hand rested on her neck, a voice spoke urgently. Warm? Loki’s face swum into focus, he had reverted to his Æsir form. The bright green eyes looked as worried as their owner felt.  “Fine, I’m fine. Just dizzy.” Kara took stock of her physical and energetic bodies; the latter was significantly depleted, no wonder she felt faint.

“What happened? Did I hurt you? Should I call for assistance?”                 

“No, I’ll be fine. Didn’t realize how draining that would be, that’s all.” He still looked concerned. If he’d been human, she would have thought him one step away from panic. Since he was Loki, crap, he was probably blaming himself. “God, I keep making things worse for you. They should just suspend my license, I’m not even practicing and I’m still doing harm. I’m such a mess.”

“What harm are you talking about?” he asked, his tone and feel shifting to puzzled annoyance.

“Oh damn, I said that out loud?” She groaned and turned away from his piercing gaze. “It was my fault, I’m okay, really.”

“If you’re all right, tell me what happened,” he said softly. One of his lean hands brushed her hair back and then trailed down her cheek to gently turn her face back in his direction. “Talk to me, sweet lady,” Loki insisted.

She sighed and reached up to touch his now warm cheek. “I never had to compensate for that much cold all at one time before. I didn’t realize how draining it would be energetically and I’d already had a long and difficult day before I even headed over here.” Shrugging, she traced the sharp angle of his jaw and tried not to remember how good being held so close to him had felt. “I would have eventually passed out. I think my system would have kept compensating, but I don’t know for sure. I’ve never taxed it that much before.”

“Hmm. Then we’d best not do that again.” He sat down on the edge of the bed capturing the hand that had been stroking his face in his. “I-Thank you. I’d thought I would never have physical contact in that form without harming the one I touched. This was such an incredible gift.”

That didn’t make sense. “Couldn’t you touch a Jötunn without hurting them?”

Loki’s expression and energy closed off. “Certainly, if I wanted to risk death. I am probably hated in Jötunheim even more so than on Asgard or Midgard.” He stared blankly at the far wall. “I stupidly sought to destroy them, I’m not certain why. It wouldn’t have changed who or what I am. Thor had to destroy the Bifröst to save their realm.”

Kara used his hand to pull herself up. “I’m so sorry. Finding out about, well, everything must have been so damn painful.” His energy shifted again giving her the courage to wrap her arms around his neck and touch her nose to his. “I know you’ve still got the tribunal hanging over your head, Loki, but please. Try to forgive yourself. You were hurt, horribly and your life had just been turned upside down. I know a bit about how that feels.”

He snorted, but didn’t pull away. “You killed the men who attacked you, who caused you that pain. I tried to destroy an entire race.”

“A race you’d been taught to hate and fear and suddenly found yourself a part of. It’s not an excuse, but it is a reason.”

A shudder ran through him before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against his chest. “I could hear the screams, you know. A shrieking vibration echoing through my skull and down my spine.” She pressed her lips to his chin and he smiled. “Kara, does the knowledge of what I’ve done not sicken you?”

“I can’t sit in front of a fire of any kind without smelling burning human flesh. I can’t go anywhere near a burn ward in a hospital without vomiting. For almost two months after I was attacked I was catatonic with the horror of it all. But with all of that, I felt not one bit of remorse, I may hate what I did, but I’m not really sorry.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “I am sorry about the Jötunn. Oh, not about Laufey, his misdeeds are too numerous to count, his abandonment of me is probably the least among them; but the people as a whole, that I regret. I am grateful to my…Thor for saving them.”

“He’s the brother of your heart if not of your blood, Loki. I know it’s hard, but could you please at least try to stop denying him? It wasn’t his fault. Odin, yes, even I’m pissed at him, but Thor is as much a victim as you are. Promise me you’ll at least try to let that much go.”

Kara shivered as his lips met hers. “I’ll try, sweet lady.” She felt her heart melting under his kiss.


	14. Chapter 14

This hadn’t gone at all the way Loki had planned it. He’d thought to apologize, confirm that he felt nothing but gratitude for the woman, acknowledge his appreciation for her beauty and compassion, and that would be that. His first inkling that he might be in trouble was when he’d found himself fisting his hands when he’d realized she was Stark’s closely held passenger upon their arrival. But that was only the barest hint that things were not going his way. Loki looked down at the woman who had dozed off in his embrace. Well, not going as he’d planned, at any rate. “What have you done to me, sweet girl,” he murmured to himself.

Kara sighed and snuggled in closer, her lips rested against his neck. It felt so right, like nothing he’d ever imagined. Not that it mattered. Eventually Odin would decide he’d stewed long enough, have him retrieved, and likely throw him in the dungeons for a good thousand years. Loki grimaced. Or exile him to Jötunheim and let those he’d truly wronged take out their wrath upon him. The dungeon was infinitely preferable. That, at least, he had a hope of surviving long enough to be pardoned, though not within Kara’s brief lifetime. Warm lips trailed up his neck to his jaw. “Why so sad?” she whispered.

He turned so they could look at each other comfortably. “I have no say in my fate, or yours. I have no future and my past is a lie.”

It’s not a lie, Loki,” Kara insisted. “It’s a mess, but…”

Not wanting another lecture, Loki captured her lips and kissed her until she gasped for breath. “Done preaching to me?” he asked.

“I’m not preaching…I just hate that you’re so unhappy.”

“There’s naught that can be done about it. Though you could make me feel much better about my present.”

She gave him a suspicious look. “Could I? How?”

Loki chuckled. She could read him like one of the well-worn books that Stark had lent him. “It occurred to me that I owe you the gift of my life. I’d like to give you an equal gift, or as equal as one can get without your life being on the line.”

Kara’s eyebrows rose. “Why do I think you’re going to say something totally outrageous?”

“Because, as they say; you have my number.”

“No doubt. Okay, go ahead, be outrageous so I can shut you down and we can move on.”

“I hope you’ll give my proposal greater consideration than that.”

“Loki, out with it. Don’t test the redhead’s patience. You do realize this hair color is Mother Nature’s way of warning men not to cross us?”

He laughed. “I did not know that, but I am grateful for her kindness in giving that warning.” Sobering, he caressed her soft cheek. “You have only half a life because you fear you will lose control and hurt any man you become close to.”

“It’s more of a life than…”

“Shhh,” he said, placing two fingers across her mouth. “Don’t berate yourself. I don’t appreciate it any more than you do when I do it.” He waited for her agreement. “I propose that I show you that you can trust yourself. That you can lose yourself in pleasure without one of these flashbacks, that you can, when you find the right man, give your heart without fear.”

“I don’t know; that would be so dangerous.”

Nodding, Loki kissed the side of her mouth. “I know it. That’s what makes it a worthwhile gift. Don’t start,” he told her as she frowned and opened her mouth to object. “Kara, if it seems you are starting to panic, having one of these attacks, I will do two things. First, I’ll shift forms. That will pull your energy back to protect you from the cold. This will give me time to shift myself from this room into another so that you can’t focus your fire upon me. I should be safe enough.”

Kara frowned thoughtfully then sighed. “Should be. But what if you’re not?”

“There’s a good chance that Odin will exile me to Jötunheim. I would not survive it. Truthfully, dying at your hands would be preferable except for the knowledge of the anguish it would cause you.” He frowned as she set her jaw into what he’d come to recognize as her stubborn expression. “Kara, please. You need to know. Don’t tell me you haven’t envied other women their loves. I cannot believe that a woman as compassionate as you does not wish for love and a family of her own.”

“Of course I do. I-I’m not sure about kids; I’ve never really spent any time with small children or babies. But love; of course I…want that.” He stared as tears welled up in her eyes. “Do you really think he’ll do that to you?”

“I don’t know. I suppose it depends on how helpful he feels I’ve been in preventing the Chitauri’s masters from pursuing their invasion plans.”

“Why won’t you explain what really happened, what your plan was? I understand that it didn’t turn out totally the way you expected, but if we knew what was supposed to happen, maybe…”

“Leave off, sweet Kara. Please.” Loki frowned sternly at her until she nodded. “Now, will you welcome me into your arms, my lady?”

… …

Kara took a deep breath. She’d almost blurted out that she already loved…him. So stupid. Everything she did with this man had been so very, very wrong even though it felt so incredibly right. He had a point. She did need to know and even if she didn’t have a future with him, if he was right and she could control her fire, she would have memories of what it was like to have him love her, if only physically. It would have to do. It was selfish, it was greedy, but she wanted anything and everything she could get from him. She swallowed nervously. “Yes,” she finally managed.

“I won’t pretend I don’t get anything out of this,” Loki murmured as he nudged her face to the side and nibbled on her earlobe. “I fully expect you to be an amazing lover.”

She nearly choked on her laugh. “Don’t expect too much, I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Good. Women who think they know what they’re doing generally…do not. Don’t suppress your instincts and you will be perfection itself.”

“My instincts…”

“Will serve you well,” he scolded. “Don’t confuse an instinctive reaction to pleasure with protective instincts. I promise you, your body will know the difference, hmm?”

Gasping as he began aggressively nuzzling and suckling the skin of her neck, Kara muttered “H-hope you’re right.”

Dratted man laughed outright as he began unbuttoning her blouse. “About this, I’m never wrong,” he assured her. Loki pushed the material back to expose her lacy underwire bra. His eyebrows rose. “Quite lovely.” He lazily traced the line of her breasts above the material and smiled as she felt her cheeks heat. “Ah, did perhaps one of the other ladies insist you have this?”

Closing her eyes Kara admitted it. “Yes, Pepper and Nat both insisted I needed new underwear.”

“Let me guess, the lovely Black Widow then raided your belongings and absconded with all of your practical underclothing so that you could not continue to wear it,” he said as he played with the front hook that was all that restrained the full globes beneath.

“Except for some designed for exercise,” she agreed, gasping again as he flicked the hook open and the material parted. Kara watched his expression as her breasts were bared. She’d stopped monitoring his emotions. She really didn’t want to know it was only lust; she told herself that she understood that he could not possibly feel anything more for a woman who would be dead in fewer years than he would generally bother to count.

His eyes brightened and his lips curved into a smile. “Beautiful,” he said as he caressed the exposed flesh. “Abundant, soft, so very…enticing,” he whispered as he leaned down. She shivered as he flicked one already hardening nipple with his tongue then nipped it lightly. “You liked that.”

“Yes,” she managed with a quaver in her voice.

Loki looked up at her and smiled. “Don’t be afraid, I will manage to stop if you ask.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Don’t say stop, though. It’s too easy to tell yourself your partner is saying ‘don’t stop’. If you’re afraid or panicking or if anything hurts say ‘hurts’ as loudly as you can manage. I will stop, I swear it.”

“O-okay.”

“Good.” His head dipped back down and his lips closed firmly around one nipple. He tugged at it until she found herself whimpering. His eyes flicked up for a moment, assessing until she smiled. “That’s my girl,” he said, releasing it and moving to the other. She could feel her insides beginning to tighten…an ache growing at her core. Loki’s teeth nipped the flesh of her other breast before he began teasing and suckling that nipple into hardness. She couldn’t hold back a moan as the incredible feeling traveled from her breast down to her sex. “My Kara enjoys titillation,” he said, sounding terribly smug. His long fingers closed over both globes and massaged them somewhat roughly.

Kara moaned even louder when he slid an arm beneath her, took the first nipple back into his mouth, and trailed his long fingers down her body to tease under the waistband of her jeans. Embarrassingly enough, she could feel wetness gathering in her panties. “God, Loki. What are you doing to me?” she asked breathlessly.

He glanced up from his task and smiled. “I am going to make you absolutely shatter with pleasure, love.” She shivered, wishing he could mean that word as more than a casual endearment.

Both of his hands were at her waist now, unbuttoning and unzipping the denim fly. Then he slipped one hand behind her and easily lifted her lower half up so that he could slide the material off of her hips and down her thighs. “So strong,” she was surprised into saying aloud. He gave her a questioning look. “Didn’t realize how physically strong you were.”

“Ah. Does that frighten you?” he asked.

“No, it’s…kind of nice.”

“Good.” The ridiculous lace panties that Nat had insisted were an appropriate match for the bra were removed next. Loki’s smile widened when he felt the now soaking wet crotch. “You want me.”

Her laugh seemed to surprise him. “I never said I didn’t,” she smiled. “Why do you think I kept messing everything up?”

… …

Comprehension dawned. “You’ve wanted me from the first day I kissed you…or before.”

Kara’s blush deepened, spreading down her neck and those oh so full and tempting breasts. “Yes, but I told myself I couldn’t have you…on so many levels, for so many reasons.”

“Good.” Loki smiled as his lady’s jaw dropped. “It is not conceit, Kara. I’m simply glad I’m not convincing you to accept something you truly didn’t want.”

“Oh. I do want you, Loki. I-I need you, more than anything or anyone.”

Loki felt as if his heart faltered, just for just a second. He’d never felt needed before. “Sweet lady, you honor me,” he whispered, dropping kisses on her curved belly. He smiled when he noticed the small hoop that pierced the flesh of the depression of her navel. “Romanov again?” he asked.

“No, that was Pepper’s idea,” she muttered as her hips squirmed under his now questing fingers.

“Really? I’m…surprised.” Shaking his head he resumed kissing the creamy flesh as his fingers parted her already wet folds. After the discovery of the navel piercing, he was not surprised to find the womanly curls well trimmed. Not removed, thankfully. He’d always felt that was disrespectful to a woman’s natural beauty. Kara wriggled as his fingers teased her clitoris and he smiled at her gasp. “Have you never pleasured yourself, sweet lady?” he had to ask.

“Not much…I-it, well…”

“The loss of control frightened you, I understand,” he told her. “Relax, love. You will lose control to me, but you’ll do it willingly and joyfully, and I will not let you harm anyone. Enjoy, it will all be good, I promise you.”

“Yes, Loki,” she whispered.

He smiled at the trust in her voice. Another novelty. Someone who had believed him and trusted him from the first day they’d spoken. It would be a fitting gift to teach her to trust herself. Loki spread her folds wide for access and dipped his head down so that he could flick her sex with his tongue. Her body jerked in surprise as a moan was wrenched from her parted lips. Keeping her nub bared with the fingers of one hand, he gently pressed his index finger into her canal, slowly, carefully so as not to spook her. She arched her back in response, pressing her sex up against his waiting mouth. “Beautiful,” he murmured.

Loki focused his full attention on her clit, her early responses to its stimulation had been…inspiring. She rolled her hips under him as he sucked, teased, and nibbled the small bud. Her juices had soaked the finger gently thrusting in her canal to the point where he felt she could easily tolerate a second. Kara moaned as two fingers thrust deeply inside her and raised her hips to meet them. He smiled as he felt one of her delicate hands fist in his hair as she shivered and began to buck in reaction. She was ready. Pulling away, he had to grin at her reaction. “What…why?” she muttered.

“Shhh,” he soothed. “Do you not want more?” Her lips pouted in a way guaranteed to make him smile.

“Yes, I want more of that,” she insisted, sounding rather grumpy.

“Ah. As you wish.” Dropping back down he resumed his oral attack. He wanted so badly to be inside her, but was realizing she needed to lose control first, while she knew he was still in control of himself and able to escape if needed. Smiling as her whimpers increased, he was rewarded with a gush of fluids as her control finally shattered.

… …

Kara choked back a scream as her body began to spasm. Her insides tightened beyond pain to a pleasure she never could have imagined as Loki continued to lick and suckle her clit. His long fingers had stilled inside her, pressing up and hard against the center of her pleasure as she felt hot fluid soak her thighs. All that she could find the breath to mutter was: “More!”

Loki laughed and lifted his face from between her legs. She flushed as she realized he was soaked with her come. “That is enough of that, I think,” he decided. “Felt good, hmm?”

“M-marvelous,” she managed with only a slight stutter. He sat up and pulled his shirt off. She hadn’t realized he was still fully dressed. The shirt was tossed aside and he was standing beside the bed as his slacks dropped to the floor, quickly followed by a pair of black close-fitting briefs. There was nothing ‘brief’ about what was revealed and her eyes widened. “Um…oh…my.”  Reaching up as he knelt back on the bed, she ran both hands over the taut muscles that defined almost every inch of his body. “So…perfect. Like Michelangelo’s David, only with, well, much, uh, more.”

 “Hmm, I’ve been told that I’m far too scrawny,” he mused.

“Humph. I’ve seen scrawny, Loki. You are not it.” She smiled and carefully stroked his erect member. “So hard and soft at the same time,” she breathed. “Like a silky velvet.” Kara rubbed her thumb around the helmet-like head and chuckled as his abdominals rippled. “You like?”

“Gods, yes.” He gasped as she experimentally gripped his shaft and stroked up and down it. “Damn it, woman, stop. This is supposed to be about your pleasure.”

“Believe me, I’m pleased.”

Loki groaned. “I’m certain, but you won’t be if you continue and I cannot…continue, that is, so stop, for now. You can play later.” Kara attempted a playful pout and was rewarded by his laugh. “Don’t, love. You will undo me. Lay back now, hmm?”

She laid back and was rewarded by a searing kiss. Moaning, Kara parted her lips for his questing tongue and slipped a hand behind his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair. Rubbing the palm of her other hand over his chest and the small hard nipples made him moan in return. Her head dropped back as he changed his target to just below her ear. She whimpered as wet heat shot through her yet again. “God, Loki, that is so…”

“Definitely your sweet spot,” he said giving the throbbing skin a last nip as he moved back down to her breasts.

“Sweet…? Oh, erogenous zone, we call it.”

“I prefer our term. Simpler, more descriptive,” he broke off to suckle an already distended nipple, pulling another groan from her. More wetness trickled down her thighs. He moved to the other, tugged on it and flicked it with his tongue. “I do believe you have the largest nipples I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying…and yes, that is a compliment. So beautiful,” he finished with a whisper.

“Loki, I-I really think I’m ready,” she muttered as frustration built within her.

He smiled, trailing a lazy finger down her abdomen to her already dripping sex. “Yes, you are. But we’re going to take it as slowly as I can manage, this time.” This time he was able to slide two fingers into her slick canal with relative ease, and he began to thrust them slowly while pressing into her clit with his thumb. She felt her hips lift as the amazing sensations began to spin her out of control. Then he shifted, and his free hand pressed her one thigh up and back and he moved to kneel between her spread legs. Putting pressure on the raised leg with his own, he then moved the other thigh into position, never pausing in the rhythm of his thrusting fingers.

A wave of unease slipped through her. “Loki, I-I’m afraid.”

“How afraid, love?” Loki asked. “Nervous or truly frightened?” His hand continued preparing her as he awaited her answer.

“I-nervous, I guess.”

“That’s all right, then. Being loved is a new experience for you, being nervous is natural,” he soothed, shifting his body forward to lean above her on one strong arm. “I won’t hurt you, Kara. I swear to you, I will never intentionally hurt you.”

Her eyes closed as the sincerity rolled off of him so strongly that it penetrated the shields she’d erected to avoid accidentally reading him. “I know.”

Loki smiled and she felt his fingers abandon her sex. He shifted again, and she felt the pressure of something much larger pressing against her dripping canal. “Easy, love. I’m taking it slow.” The pressure grew, but true to his word he pressed in slowly, allowing her to adjust to the unaccustomed intrusion at her own pace. It seemed to take a lifetime, but finally he stopped and bent his head to softly kiss her lips. She discovered she was panting when he smiled. “That’s not so bad, is it?”

She stared at him, wondering if he’d lost his mind. “Bad?” she managed. “God, no…so…full…feels…” she couldn’t find a word to describe the indescribable. Gasping, Kara shuddered as he slowly pulled back then moaned as he pressed back in, just a bit less slowly than before. She whimpered, knowing that something she wanted and badly, was just out of reach, even if she didn’t know exactly what it was.

… …

Loki groaned as he slowly thrust into her wet heat yet again. His sweet lady was whimpering with pleasure, he was certain it was safe to take her more aggressively, but he was enjoying her rapt expression far too much to rush it. Another slow thrust and withdrawal had her hips rocking. He wanted to laugh with the knowledge that he had so much power over her. Power. Damnation. This was not about power, this was about pleasure, her pleasure, and he would _not_ forget it. He put his lips to her sweet spot, and sucked again on the soft skin. He’d already left a mark, but the conservative necklines she favored would not expose it. “So sweet, so sensual,” he whispered in her ear.

“God, Loki, please! I want, I want…oh god,” she muttered almost incoherently before she subsided into moan punctuated whimpers again.

“Yes, love. It’s time, easy now, let yourself go, I won’t let you hurt anyone, I swear.” She nodded between whimpers and he began to increase the tempo of his thrusts. It was his turn to groan as the friction of her sweet flesh clinging to his cock sent spasms of pleasure through his groin. He thrust harder and faster as her head began to thrash, and found himself moving to a tempo more appropriate for an experienced lover at her passionate response. His head swam with the sensations that ran through him and he soon lost all control.

Kara’s mouth dropped open in a soft scream as he came back to himself, realized he was pounding into her with far more force than he had intended. But she was loving it. “Yesss,” she hissed, “more, please more…” He laughed and obliged, allowing himself to give her everything he could for as long as he could hold out. Her tensed body began to buck and spasm beneath him, and she sobbed with pleasure. Her small hands gripped him hard enough that had he been mortal, she would surely have left painful bruises. He was at the edge and she was over it and staying over, her orgasm seemed never ending.

Loki let himself go, and yelled as he exploded within her. “Gods, Kara, so…so perfect, love. So…mine.” He caught himself, barely, before he collapsed on top of her. The weight of his denser muscles and bones would have done damage. Dropping to the side, he soothed her still trembling body until her whimpers began to subside. “Easy, love,” he whispered as he gathered her in his arms. “All is well, rest sweet lady.”


	15. Chapter 15

Kara faded back into consciousness with a hard male chest under her cheek. She sighed. "I fell asleep again," she mumbled.

"It was more of a faint," Loki answered. "Was I too rough with you?"

"What? No, not at all. Seriously, I fell asleep. I was still drained, energetically. And then all of, well, you know, it was kind of overwhelming."

She felt his muscles move as he shrugged. "Of course it was; you are mortal."

"What?" Kara sat up to glare at him. His eyes were bright and there was just the tiniest bit of a twitch in the corner of his mouth. "Oh for...you were teasing me, weren't you?"

The smile emerged. "I was. You're an empath, what took you so long to realize it?"

"I don't generally go around reading people if I can help it. It's rude, so I shield against it, as much as I can." She found herself sighing again. "And sometimes, I just don't want to know."

"Hmm. I'd never considered how awkward it must be. Most healers in Asgard are loners. I suppose that's why." His arm tightened about her waist and he drew her back down as he turned over on his side to face her. Once she was settled, he brushed his knuckles gently across her cheek. "Do you believe you can trust in yourself now?" he asked.

"Yes. If I didn't lose control in the middle of all of that, I won't lose it at all from having sex."

"Having...hmm. Of course not." He sounded almost...grumpy.

"What?"

"I suppose I do not care for your euphemisms."

"What euphemism?" He was the most confusing damn man. "Loki, I'm sorry if I'm missing something or offending you somehow, but your culture and how you think about things is beyond my experience."

"It matters little." She had a bad feeling it mattered a lot, but his expression had closed off and she didn't want to push him. People with his temperament tended to react badly when pushed. He was still holding her close and was absently playing with her hair rather than moving away, so she couldn’t have annoyed him too greatly. "When will your things be moved back in," he asked.

Uh oh. Biting her lip she searched for a good way to answer. "I'm afraid that isn't going to happen." He frowned and gave her a searching look. "They won't allow it, Loki, you know that…"

"I know no such thing. I need you here."

"I'm sorry. I've already made enough of a mess of things with you. They aren't going to...oh my God..." she trailed off thinking of how badly the fecal matter was going to hit the rotating device if Fury realized what she'd done.

... ...

Loki frowned at the miserable expression on his lady's face. "Having regrets?" he asked, managing to keep his tone indifferent.

"What? No, of course not. I-I'm going to be in so damn much trouble, but...no, I don't regret this, not at all."

Relief swept through him. He decided to change tactics. "Kara, do you know what I do all day here, every day?" She shook her head mutely. "Nothing. I have read enough books to make my eyes bleed. Your entertainment industry simply isn't. There is no one to converse with, and the sheer inactivity is pushing the limits of my tolerance."

"I'm so sorry."

He shook his head. It wasn't her fault. "If you cannot return to these rooms, perhaps you could at least return to the building, spend time with me?" Clenching his jaw, he forced his tone to remain even and schooled his expression to indifference.

"Nick Fury will never allow it. He didn't want me to come today; he was overridden by Dr. Nassar and the team."

Loki allowed himself a small grin. "Tell him you'll live up to your code name if he refuses."

... ...

Kara caught herself before she blew her opportunity by asking him what he meant. "Hmm, in what way?" she asked instead.

He shrugged. "You told those pathetic beasts you would bring them hell on earth, so, go into Hellbringer mode. Oh, don't threaten to set _him_ afire, I know that would weigh on your conscience, but tell him you'll bring hell to his personal effects if he tries to control where you do or do not reside."

Hellbringer. Closing her eyes tiredly she thought about it. "Huh, I guess I deserve that one."

"What?"

"Loki, how did you know what they'd chosen as my code name?"

He frowned. "You must have mentioned it when you..."

"Uh, no. I didn't know what it was until just now, they've all refused to tell me. And don't try to tell me that anyone here told you, you've just said they won't talk to you." Kara groaned as he pulled away from her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, Loki, you didn't."

"I had nothing better to do with my time," he muttered, his expression turning...petulant?

She couldn't help it. Her lips twitched with the effort to hold it back, but the giggle escaped. His glare only made it worse and she collapsed with laughter.

"When do you think you might be able to stop laughing at me?" he asked testily.

"What?" His angry and hurt tone sobered her. "Oh, I wasn't laughing at you." She snickered again. "They're idiots. I can't believe it. Did you first hack into the S.H.I.E.L.D. system about a week and a half ago?"

"Did I what?"

"Enter their system without permission."

"Ah. Yes." He glared again when she stifled another giggle. "I was bored."

"And that's what's so damn funny. They left a god of Mischief to his own devices for two weeks, let him get bored, then gave him internet access, and have been running around like chickens without heads trying to figure out who managed to hack into their system." She frowned. "Oh, did you hack into Tony's system, too?"

The corner of his mouth quirked up. "Perhaps."

"Hmm. Jarvis, does Mr. Stark know who hacked into his system?" she asked the AI.

"No, Dr. Gunnarssen."

"Do you know?"

"Of course, doctor. It was our guest, Prince Loki."

"Did Mr. Stark ask you who did it?"

"He did not. I believe he has taken it as a personal challenge."

"Makes sense. Thank you Jarvis." Still smirking she turned back to Loki. "I've got my leverage," she told him.

… …

Bruce Banner looked up as Kara stalked into the den. She seemed to be vastly amused about something. That was a good sign. He’d been worried that Loki would pull more of his blame everyone but himself crap and dump on Kara again. “Hey,” he offered quietly as he continued to maneuver the controls on the game. Fandral and Hogun were intent on the action and didn’t even glance up.

Stark looked up, though. “Hey, Sparky, how goes it?”

“That’s something I should be asking you,” she said with a smirk. “I thought you were spending all of your spare time tracking a hacker?” Kara took a step closer to the group and picked up the box that had held the disks. “Halo 6? I thought Halo 4 was the big thing?”

“It is,” Bruce agreed. “Tony knows the designer and we’re doing the beta on an early prototype of 6. Halo 5 should be hitting the stores on Black Friday.”

“And, I am,” Tony said. “Tracking the hacker, that is. I’ve got algorithms running to trace his ISP. Really freaking me out, so far he’s a ghost…not even a nibble on the ISP; he must be running a shadow system.”

“Hmm, a shadow system? Like yours?” she asked. Bruce did a double-take at her tone. The amusement was spilling out.

“Yes like…son of a bitch.” Tony dropped his controller and lunged for his touchscreen. Grinning, Bruce decided he’d better hit the pause on the game. Tony was frenetically moving data around on three different screens now. “I’ll kill him.”

“No you won’t. You’re impressed, admit it,” Kara said between snickers.

“I-I am. Damn it. And I gave him the goddamn tools to do it.” Stark’s face was a picture of consternation. “Oh, shit. Did he hit S.H.I.E.L.D.’s system too?”

“He did. By the way, Hellbringer? Whose idea was that?”

Bruce coughed. “Uh, that was Maria Hill’s idea. She said being on the receiving end of your empathic projections was psychological hell.”

… …

“Humph. She volunteered,” Kara told him, and smiled as Bruce held his hands up in mock surrender.

“So, why is Jack Frost hacking us? Checking out our weapons systems? Looking for weaknesses? What?” Tony asked her.

Kara shrugged. “It was a challenge, I suppose. He’s bored stiff.”

“Big deal. I get bored all the time, you…”

“Find some kind of challenge to occupy your time?” she finished for him.

“Stark?” Fandral began from where he and Hogun had been following the conversation, looking back and forth as they spoke as though they were watching a tennis match. “A bored god of Mischief is a dangerous thing.” Kara smirked. Fandral had finally stopped calling Tony ‘man of iron’, that was a relief.

“Yeah, Casanova, I got that.” Tony ran a hand through his hair. “What the hell do we do with him?”

She sat down on the back of the couch. “You could start by letting him leave the suite. It’s not like we can keep him there if he really wanted to leave. Taking meals with everyone else would help some; give him some social interaction, conversation. Other than that, we find someone who has time to keep him company and keep him out of trouble that won’t be itching to kill him every other second.”

“That lets out the Hardy boys, here and Banner’s busy…even if our problem child wouldn’t spend all day wondering if he was going to get pounded into my floor again. Soldier Boy is off with Hawkeye and Black Widow making the rounds of those other sites and I’m sure as hell not letting Pepper do it, even if I didn’t need her to run my company.” Tony finally subsided and glared at her.

“Guess that leaves me.”

“Fury is going to blow a gasket.”

… …

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Loki muttered as he combed his dark hair back.

Kara sighed. While she had figured he’d be resistant, the litany of complaints was getting on her nerves. “Do you or do you not want to get out of this room for a while?”

“Of course. I simply do not believe it is wise to subject the Æsir to my presence any more than absolutely necessary. They won’t take it well.”

“They’ve been told to be adults about it or Pepper will make them eat peanut butter and jelly in their room.”

He wrinkled his nose. “What and jelly?”

“Peanut butter. It’s a paste made from peanuts and oil. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

Loki’s nose wrinkled again. “I’ll pass.”

“Snob.”

He looked confused. “Was that intended as an insult?”

“Are you ready yet? You primp more than I do.”

“Hmm.” Loki turned and stroked his thumb along her jaw. “And yet, you always look lovely. I’m ready now. Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

The rest of the group members in residence were waiting in the observation lounge. Tony was tending bar. “You ready for that drink?” he said to Loki as they entered.

Loki’s smile was barely noticeable, but it was there. Kara let herself relax. “Yes, I believe I will. Scotch, neat, please.”

“You got it. Kara?”

“What does Pepper have open?”

“A Muscato,” Pepper said as she came up to them. “Good to see you, Kara, all this testosterone has been a bit much.” They exchanged a quick hug. “Loki, you’re looking well. Thank you for joining us.”

“Miss Potts, how could I ignore such a gracious invitation?”

… …

Pepper chuckled. “The invitation, easily. Kara, however, is not so easy to ignore. Oh, and please, call me Pepper.”

Loki smiled slightly and nodded his head. The gesture didn’t seem calculated, but it gave him a…regal appearance. “As you wish, Pepper.” His smile faded as Hogun and Fandral entered from the balcony and his entire body seemed to tense. Banner came up on their right. “Doctor Banner,” Loki said evenly.

“Loki, good to see you on your feet.” Pepper tried not to wince as Loki stared at the area that had been destroyed in his drubbing by Bruce’s ‘other’ and then looked back at Bruce. “Have you been having any physical issues?” Bruce continued.

“Not from my original injuries, no. I did not thank you for your assistance. I apologize for the omission. You have my gratitude.”

“No problem. It’s nice to be able to fix someone up instead of break them for a change.”

Pepper held her breath until Loki responded. “I’m certain,” he said with a wry smile.

“Well, dinner is ready to be served, shall we go in?” she suggested.

… …

The meal was actually going a lot better than he’d expected, Bruce thought as he took a bite of his poached salmon. Loki had been engaging and charming, Tony had kept the snark down to an acceptable level, and Kara and Pepper had been vivacious and attentive to everyone. The only flies in the ointment were the two members of the Warriors Three. Fandral had been polite, though far more reserved than his norm. Hogun had been all but silent. He looked up as he belatedly realized that Loki had asked him a question. “I’m sorry, Loki, I was woolgathering. What did you say?”

A slight look of confusion crossed the man’s lean face before he responded. “I asked if perhaps you…your other as you call it, were holding back when you fought me.”

“Hmm, I don’t remember it being much of a fight, but yes, I do remember thinking there might be hell to pay if we killed you so I managed to stop him…me…when you stopped resisting. Well, after he/I noticed you had stopped resisting.”

“Ah.” Loki nodded thoughtfully. “I underestimated your strength in that state; yet another miscalculation.”

Bruce smiled. “Not to mention my control, hmm?”

“Oh, no. I’d certainly counted on your having a modicum of control, enough to recognize surrender, at any rate.” He shrugged when Bruce stared at him. “I’d every intention of surrendering once you’d convincingly subdued me.”

“You have plans within plans, don’t you?” Tony said.

“Had. Those plans failed. My only plan now is to await the All-Father’s pleasure and be judged for my actions.”

“Huh.” Bruce nearly choked when Tony started talking again. “So, you guys have known each other for a long time, right?” he said, pointing his fork at the three Asgardians. None of them answered immediately.

Finally, Fandral looked up from his plate. “Indeed, most of our lives.”

“You all grew up together, huh. That must make this tough,” Tony continued on what had to be the worst possible subject.

This time Hogun frowned at the oblivious billionaire. “We did not ‘grow up’ with his highness. We had little association with the royal family until we were nearly grown. That was when Thor and his highness entered our lives directly.”

Bruce looked from face to face. Hogun’s expression was outright resentful. Fandral’s troubled. Tony’s eyes were wide and he seemed to realize he’d pushed too far. Loki’s fork clicked as he set it down, then he folded his napkin, set it beside his plate, and stood, rubbing his temples. “Pepper, please convey my apologies to your chef. The food is quite delicious, but I find I have no appetite. Good night.” Between one blink and the next, he disappeared.

“Jesus Christ,” Tony muttered. “This is not good, people.”

… …

Kara rolled her eyes at him. “Calm down, Tony. Jarvis, is Loki still in the tower, and if so, where?”

“Prince Loki is in his suite, Dr. Gunnarssen.”

“Thank you. He’s upset, Tony, and he didn’t want to take it out on anyone here, so he removed himself from the situation.”

“Great. That’s just…” Tony stood and paced for a minute then came back to the table and pointed at Hogun. “What the hell did you say that made him react like that?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit. Fandral, you wanna tell me what Frosty’s problem is?”

“Ah, well…hmm.”

“Not hearing an explanation here, and if I don’t, we’re going to have a problem, gentlemen, and I am using that term loosely.”

Fandral sighed. “Referring to him as ‘his highness’ in a casual setting when we have been on a first name basis with him for centuries is a form of, uh, shunning.”

“Great, that’s just…has it occurred to you two bozos that we are walking a fucking tightrope here? We’ve been left with the responsibility of containing a man who can disappear anytime he damn well pleases. He’s making an effort to not make this more difficult than it has to be, and you, yes, you are fucking up after I told you that I expected you to behave like adults and not make any more fucking problems for us.”

“Tony, language,” Pepper murmured.

“The hell with my language; I don’t need this shit.” He dropped back down in his chair and frowned. Kara Gunnarssen was rubbing her temples, a pained look on her face. “Kara, what’s wrong.”

“I’m trying not to turn that asshat into a pile of ash,” she muttered.

“Oh, crap. Uh, please don’t do that, the furniture in here is flammable…and so is the parquet floor.”

She looked up at the now alarmed Asgardians. “Do either of you have any idea what it feels like to be treated as a freak, as second-rate all of your life?” They didn’t answer. “And if that wasn’t bad enough, now he thinks he’s a monster because of his genetics.” Tony bit back a smirk, Fandral was becoming antsy and Hogun was now staring at the floor. “I am so damn tempted to show you what a real monster is, but I won’t. Do you know why?” she asked. They didn’t respond and Kara’s eyes narrowed.

“Uh, I don’t think that was a rhetorical question, boys. Answer the lady,” he ordered.

Hogun looked up. His expression was closed and cold. “No, I don’t know why, my lady.”

“Because Loki taught me I could control what I was. That I didn’t have to be a monster, that I could be a normal person, get angry or frightened, and not kill anybody no matter how damn tempted I was.” She waited, but there was no response. “What I am going to do is show you how it feels from his end. You deserve to know.”

“Uh, Kara, ixnay on the projecting, that’s…” he broke off as Hogun grabbed his head and Fandral slipped off the chair onto his knees. “Oh, crap.”

“Relax, Tony. I gave it to them at real strength, just like he’s feeling it. They’re being dramatic wusses.” She turned to stare at them. “So, boys, how do you like feeling like Loki does? Fun, huh?” Kara pushed away from the table and headed for the elevator. “You two make me sick,” she said as she left.


	16. Chapter 16

Loki stared out at the bustling city, his forehead pressed against the cool glass. There were construction cranes on several of the nearby buildings that had been heavily damaged in his glorious but not lengthy battle. And it had been glorious. He still had to smile imagining the shock experienced by the Other and his master when the Midgardian heroes had prevailed. Thor's friends had lived up to his every expectation…and then had exceeded them. His smile faded; Thor's friends. It was always Thor's friends, never his. His fist clenched at his side.

The door rattled, but did not open. He'd wanted privacy and was willing to hold it using his all but fully restored power. Not that he needed much to do this paltry thing. "Prince Loki," the voice of Jarvis said, breaking the silence. "Dr. Gunnarrsen requests admittance." He sighed and gestured at the door, reshaping the tendril of magic to tug it open. "Thank you, Jarvis," he said quietly.

He didn't turn away from the window, not just yet. His head was still throbbing and he fought to suppress the pain as he had fought to suppress the urge to silence that oaf, Hogun. Shifting locations from the dining room to his suite had bled off some of the suppressed power, but not enough. It was still trapped in a feedback loop into his nervous system; the damage done by the containment field would likely take days to fully heal now that the daily exposure to it had ended, even at his rate of recovery. Kara closed the door and crossed the room behind him. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "You were right. I was giving them far too much credit."

Loki smiled. Her voice conveyed her annoyance and disgust clearly. At least she admitted her error. Not that he blamed her for believing the best of anyone. She'd trusted him when no one else would. And others had trusted him on her word…Dr. Nassar, Pepper Potts. Even the other Avengers seemed to be giving him the benefit of the doubt and remaining civil. "Never mind, my lady. You do not, as you've pointed out, know our culture."

"It has nothing to do with your culture, and everything to do with abusing hospitality and ignoring orders. You should have seen it; Tony totally went off on them. I had a few things to, uh, say, myself."

He stiffened. No, the last thing he wanted…he spun and slammed his fist down on the wrought iron table. It shuddered and the center buckled. "I do not need championing, doctor. I can fight my own battles and do so better and with far more finality than any mortal!"

… …

Kara blinked. The pain, sorrow and tiny sliver of hope she had felt from him had melted away in an instant to be replaced by a violent streak of anger and frustration. Wonderful. He didn't understand that it wasn't all about him. She tried not to sigh at his egocentric assumption. "Actually, no one was championing you," she managed to say mildly, though not entirely honestly. "Hogun specifically disregarded orders and also violated common courtesy and rules of hospitality. He needed to understand that his abuse of hospitality wouldn't be tolerated." She decided that mentioning she'd made the two feel Loki's pain in retaliation for their insult to him would be a spectacularly bad idea.

Loki's mouth dropped open slightly, the anger melted away. He looked down at the dent he'd made in the table and sighed. "I-I see." He sat down in the wrought iron chair and stared up at her, his expression troubled, his emotions more so. "Forgive me?" he asked.

"Of course." Kara sat down beside him and poked at the deep depression in the ornate metal design of the table's top. "Can you fix it?" she asked.

His left eyebrow lifted slightly. "If you wish." She gave him her best annoyed frown and he chuckled. "Ah, very well, Kara." She watched as he stretched to lay one hand above and the other under the dented metal. His eyes narrowed; she could feel an energy disturbance and then heard the distinctive sound of slowly warping metal. After a few moments he pulled his hand away. "That's the best I can do without compromising the integrity of the material," he finally told her.

Kara leaned over to look at the underside of the table. There was only a tiny protrusion still visible. From the top, you would never know it had ever been dented. "Good, now I don't have to be mad at you for wreaking my table," she told him with a smile.

Loki laughed and took her hand. "I never want to have your anger," he told her as he kissed her palm. "I value your good opinion."

"You have it, you know. Seriously. Considering how badly they pissed me off, you must have been furious. Yet you handled it much better than I did. We were all very impressed." His mouth twisted and she could feel a thread of disdain run through him and sighed. "Yeah, I know, impressing the mortals, BFD, fine, whatever."

His eyebrows rose. "BFD?"

"Big, uh, freaking deal. It means I know you don't give a rat's…"

"I know what it means," he interrupted dryly. "I simply was startled to hear you say it; it's…unprofessional."

"Now, that's funny. You are obviously confusing me with Raj. I've never been particularly professional, well, not the way I speak, anyway. It doesn't go over very well with combat vets. Traditional doctor types get on their nerves."

Loki pushed back from the table and looked her up and down, his gaze heated. She fought down a smile as she felt a tendril of desire run through him. "No, I am definitely not confusing you with Dr. Nassar. He does not have the same effect on me at all." He reached out to take her hand again then stood, drawing her up to her feet as well. "Do you understand what you do to me?" he asked huskily as he used one lean finger to tilt her chin up to kiss her softly, lingeringly.

"Loki," she whispered as he abandoned her lips to trace a path to her ear and then nipped the lobe. "I-I can't stay."

"Kara…"

"Tomorrow morning I'll meet with Nick and tell him I'm moving back over here. But I have to go back tonight, if I don't he'll send someone to retrieve me."

"Let them try."

"No, Loki. You've been working so hard to stay out of trouble; besides which, I promised him I'd be back tonight. I don't break my word if I have any choice."

He sighed, and stroked her cheek gently. "Very well, then. I won't ask you to break your word, I would not break mine." She could feel a quick spear of mischief emerge as he smiled. "Assuming I'd bothered to give it."

Kara had to laugh. This Loki was the one she'd fallen for. He pulled her close and kissed her again; she wound her arms around his neck and enjoyed.

… …

"We're going to knock," Pepper told Tony after countermanding his order to have Jarvis open the door to Loki's suite. "I'd be upset if you barged into my rooms."

"Wait, that doesn't make sense. Your rooms are my rooms. You moved in…didn't you?" he asked, giving her his trademark adorably confused look.

She rolled her eyes. The expression was adorable, and he knew it, which was why he used it…it still got to her, though. "Fine, I'd be upset if Kara barged into our rooms."

"Okay, okay…go ahead, knock." He smirked. "But don't be surprised if they don't answer."

Pepper frowned at him. "All the more reason to not just walk in." She turned back to the door and knocked firmly, then stepped back to await a response. "Did you remember the wine?" she asked.

"Of course, I put a bottle of Kara's favorite in the ice bucket on the bottom shelf, I even remembered the glasses."

"Good." Cupping his cheek, Pepper rewarded his thoughtfulness with a kiss. "Did you drop off some in our bedroom?"

"Yeesss, a bottle of your favorite, and again, the appropriate glasses." He frowned. "And chocolate truffles. I know how you love chocolate truffles with your bubbly."

"Hmm. Remind me to share them with you," she said with a wicked smile, laughing as his eyes widened and he began to grin. "Now, behave."

"Don't I always? Ah, don't answer that."

"You really are a genius, aren't you?" She was saved from dealing with a response by the snick of the opening door. Expecting to see Kara or Loki on the other side, her eyes widened when she realized they were both on the far end of the room by the window.

"Come in, Pepper," Loki called. She entered the room, pushing the cart ahead of her and tried not to smile too deeply when she noticed Kara's mussed hair…not to mention Loki's rumpled collar.

"Hi, sorry to bother you, but Kara didn't finish her dinner either and she tends towards hypoglycemia when she doesn't eat regularly. I didn't think you'd mind my bringing fresh plates for the two of you so that she doesn't run into problems with her metabolism issues."

"Metabolism issues?" Loki frowned and looked down at Kara who nodded. "Ah, no, not at all. Thank you, that's quite…thoughtful."

… …

Tony smirked as he listened to the love of his life manage the god of mischief. No wonder the business side of Stark Industries was experiencing a renaissance. He should have put her in charge of it years ago. Damn, she was good. He leaned back against the corridor wall, waiting for the all-clear. The last time he'd entered Loki's suite without a direct invitation, their guest had gotten, uh, testy.

"Stark, stop hovering in the hall and come in," Loki called out, sounding irritated. Oh well, irritated was an improvement on testy. Testy had given him the feeling he should be wearing the suit.

He pushed off of the wall and strode in, exuding as much confidence as he could manage. "Well, everything is set for the evening," he told them, trying to ignore that Kara's lower lip was a bit swollen and her hair messier than usual. He ran a litany of 'it's not my business' through his head non-stop in an attempt to hold back the oh-so-tempting comments.

"How so?" Now how did one man - or one Norse god in this case, manage to fit so much condescending attitude into two small words?

"Well, after Kara left us with that blinding migraine," he began. "Banner felt it would be dangerous for her to travel back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Who knows what the g-force on the Quinjet, or even with me flying her would do. Can't be risked." Loki stared at him, both eyebrows raised. "Sooo, I called Fury, let him know that she needed bed rest and that we really thought observation would be required tonight. I'm sure I saw blood on her napkin."

Loki looked sharply at Kara who had her lips pressed together firmly, trying not to laugh at the load of B.S. he was dishing out. "I…see," he finally said. "All night observation, hmm? I can't imagine that Banner has that kind of time on his hands or that you have that kind of patience."

"Yeah, not so much. So, I thought maybe you could do us all a favor on that."

"I think that could be arranged," he said solemnly, without so much as a twitch let alone the full out smirk Tony couldn't suppress. No wonder they called him the god of lies.

"Cool beans. You've got dinner in that top compartment, keeping hot. Dessert in the middle, keeping cold, and jusssst in case that migraine suddenly vanishes, a bottle of Kara's favorite wine in an ice bucket in the bottom. But before you enjoy, do you mind if I ask a question or two?"

"So long as I may refuse to answer."

"Fair enough. When you were wandering around my system – oh, and nice job on that, by the way. I'm impressed, couldn't have done it better myself. Of course, you were already inside my external firewall, so that saved you a lot of work."

"Actually, I jumped to your system from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s, so I did need to breach your external firewall."

"Really? Damn. Hmm, gonna have to take a look at that." Tony frowned thoughtfully. "Anyway, when you were entertaining yourself in my files, did you do anything other than leave notes all over the place? I mean, I did look, but I didn't find anything, and I'd sleep a hell of a lot better if you could promise me you didn't alter anything."

Frosty smirked silently until Kara touched his arm. "Come on, Loki, he did something nice, you can be nice in return."

"Fine. Stark, I promise I've done nothing other than break into your system and leave the notes you found."

Tony rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Interesting way to word it…that didn't mean he wouldn't do anything in the future, but…he'd take it. "Okay, thanks for that. Second question, when you left the note on the scale armor construction specifications, who did you think the armor was for? I mean, my notes said to get the measurements from Pepper and to run the final design specs by her, and nowhere did it mention Kara by name or code name. Did you think it was for Pepper?"

Loki looked…hmm, abashed, and sighed before answering. Interesting. "Yes, it was a reasonable assumption. You've made yourself a very tempting target, putting your name in the sky in lights and such," he said with a smirk. "You should find a way to protect her."

Pepper murmured quietly, "I don't need protecting, thank you." They both ignored her.

"So I did. Well, then I owe you my thanks for looking out for her. That was, um, pretty cool of you." Loki frowned at him. "Uh, no pun intended, honest, that was sincere gratitude, really." Tony mentally smacked himself in the head and hoped for the best.

"You're welcome. I do not wish any harm to come to Pepper. She is innocent in all of this."

… …

Kara frowned. Notes? Harm? What the heck? "Um, what notes?"

Tony almost physically squirmed. "Well, your uh…companion there left a note on the rendering of your armor. He drew an arrow to a part of it from a message that said 'revisit the composition of this area lest the wearer suffer dire injury'. I really should have guessed it was him from that, I mean, who talks like that besides the guys from Asgard, you know?"

"Oh. Thank you," she said to Loki. He shrugged.

"Hey, Lokes, did you see anything else in there that needed fixing?" Tony asked.

She tried not to snicker at Tony's antics, not to mention Loki's put upon expression at the corruption of his name; she really did, but failed and earned an irritated glance from Loki. "Must you encourage him?" he asked. She shrugged and bit her lip. He turned back to Tony. "I really cannot say."

"Uh, okay. Why not?" In typical Tony fashion the last two words were drawn out.

Loki sighed. "There are treaties between those realms with a higher degree of technology that disallow interference in another realm's development of technology; or failure to develop a particular technology. I've already skirted the spirit of the agreement if not the actual letter of it with my warning. I will not cross the line, not on this. It would not be tolerated."

"Wait, didn't you already cross that line with Selvig?"

"No. His work with the cube gave him the knowledge, not anything I did. He may have come by that knowledge more quickly as he spent more time with it after I took him, but he did not gain any knowledge he would not have eventually gained on his own."

"Oh. Okay. Sooooo, since you're so bored and all, maybe you'd find it amusing to, I don't know, wander around in the workshop when I'm working on stuff. You might see things that don't interest you at all, and other things might give you a good chuckle."

Loki actually snorted. "I'll see if I can fit that into my busy schedule," he offered dryly.

"Yeah, you do that. Oh, crap. One more thing and then I'll leave you to your dinner. Banner and the docs over at headquarters are concerned that Kara isn't healing well from the exposure to the containment field. He's going to go along and oversee a full scan. We'd really appreciate it if you'd go too, and get scanned, so we can do a comparison, see how your healing is going and maybe see if there's anything we can do to help hers."

Kara held her breath. Tony might have actually hit on the one thing that would motivate Loki to agree to the scan, if he cared about her at all. He turned to frown at her. "Are you still having problems?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. They weren't exactly fudging on the migraine. It's not blinding, but I did have some fairly deep stabbing pain."

He frowned. "I'm not happy about that. Endangering me is one thing, I am technically the enemy. You are their teammate. That is…"

"It was an accident, Loki. Tony had no idea it would cause a problem. My nervous system is pretty unique among humans; it was altered by experimental drugs I was given after my pyrokinetic abilities surfaced. It doesn't do anything to normal humans. They couldn't have known or even suspected it would hurt me."

"And what's to prevent Fury from deciding he likes using me as a lab rat and making an attempt to keep me there?" he asked.

She smiled, letting her nasty emerge. "Me. I give you my word I won't let them keep you there, and if S.H.I.E.L.D. tries to make me break my word, there will be hell to pay."

… …

Pepper and Stark had finally left them alone and they'd enjoyed their delayed dinner, dessert and he was opening the smallish bottle of wine before he convinced his lady to join him in bed so that he could keep his agreement to provide 'observation'. His lips twitched as he imagined the conversation Stark and Banner must have had with Fury. "Here you are, my lady," he said, handing a glass to Kara.

"What did kind did Tony bring?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Does it matter? He said it was your favorite."

"I have several favorites." She leaned forward to reach past him and picked up the bottle. "Oh, that snarky putz," she muttered.

"What?" he asked and then looked at the label on the bottle. The wine was made by Quady Winery and was called 'Deviation'. "Hmm, and here I was nearly ready to revise my opinion of Stark."

Kara snickered. "Hey, he's entitled to express his opinion of my taste in men. At least he was being snarky at me with this one. My other favorite is Norwegian Ice Wine."

"That…well, that would be directed at both of us, I suppose."

"Exactly. So give him credit for choosing the lesser of two evils. He really is a good man underneath all of the wise-assery and snark."

Frowning, Loki urged Kara to turn and began unfastening the silk dress she'd changed into before dinner. "I suppose I can give him credit for arranging this. I honestly had no expectation that he would, hmm, aid and abet…us."

She set her glass down so that he could pull her dress and then her bra from her arms. Her expression was slightly troubled. Once freed, her arms snaked around his waist and she pressed her face into his bared chest. "Is there an 'us', Loki?" she asked softly. Closing his eyes he tried not to sigh. He had no idea how to answer her.


	17. Chapter 17

Loki didn’t answer. Kara bit her lip, regretting the question. Of course he didn’t answer, what could he say that wouldn’t make her push him away and make them both feel worse? “I-I’m sorry,” she whispered. “That was an impossible question to answer, I…”

“No, you had every right to ask.” Loki’s hands rubbed her back soothingly. “And I would answer if I had an honest one.” His lips brushed her forehead and then he pressed his cheek against the top of her head. “The All-Father will make his judgment soon; if not tomorrow, then next week, or perhaps the week after. I simply do not know when. I cannot even think about what I may or may not want until I’ve been sentenced; it would be an exercise in futility…and painful to all involved in one way or another.”

She shuddered. It was too late for it to not be painful to her, no matter what happened. It was too late the first time he had told her she wasn’t a monster. “You know that I care about you, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question, she decided.

“As more than a-a friend, yes, I’m not that dense,” he tone was wry. “I should be trying to discourage you, but I’ll admit to selfishness. Having a woman’s honest favor is a first for me.”

Kara pulled away slightly. “Oh, please. You’re how old and you’ve never had a woman really lo-care for you? I’m sorry; I find that hard to believe.”

Loki’s short laugh was bitter. “It is the truth. And you can say the word, you know. I won’t turn away from you because of your emotions. Familial love is one thing. My mother, my adoptive mother, Frigga loves me as though I were born of her body. She has always been the one person who never pushed me aside. And certainly, I’ve had women in my life as sexual partners. It took centuries for me to learn the lesson that they were there only in an attempt to marry into the royal family, or to get closer to Thor. None of them ever wanted _me_ , they wanted the position I could give them or they wanted my _brother_.”

“What the hell is wrong with the women of Asgard?” she asked. “Oh, don’t answer that. I just…I can’t understand that. You’re brilliant, you’re beautiful, and you’re so amazing in so many ways. I mean, yes, I can understand women who are social climbers; I think it’s stupid, but I understand it. But given the choice, I don’t see what the ones who don’t care about the royal part see in Thor over you. It just makes no sense to me.”

“You don’t like Thor?” he asked in surprise.

“Of course I like him, but I could never be attracted to him. Sure, he’s handsome in a sports jock sort of way. And yes, he’s loyal and trustworthy, but he doesn’t think things out before he does them and his sense of honor has no shades of gray whatsoever. Real people can’t survive like that. We don’t have the option to, so it’s very annoying. He has no sense of humor, oh, and he’s loud. I only spent a few hours a day for three days in his company and it nearly drove me to drink.”

His mouth twitched. “That even annoys fa…his father.” Loki took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “I don’t know, Kara. He is the golden one, and I was never anything but his shadow. I had no real friends, no companions other than his. My accomplishments meant nothing next to his and that…gets old.”

“Is that what your plan was about? Accomplishing something that he couldn’t?”

“Something like that. You see how well it went.”

She wrapped her arms around his lean waist and pressed her cheek against his chest. “I love you Loki. I may only be a mortal, but I’ll have more love in my heart for the few short decades of life we’re allotted than the women of Asgard seem to have over their entire long existence. That love is yours. You can push it away if you want, but…”

“I’m not going to push it or you away, Kara.” Loki huffed out an impatient breath. “I’ve told you, I’m far too selfish to do the right thing.”

“Then?”

He shuddered, took her head in his hands and kissed her gently. “Until such time as I am returned to Asgard, there is as much of an ‘us’ as you desire. I will greedily take all you are willing to give me and I will give you all that I am capable of giving under the circumstances.”

Kara hugged him as tightly as she could. “That will have to be enough.”

… …

Tony smiled as he popped open Pepper’s favorite champagne. It wasn’t Dom Perignon, she didn’t really care for it, and this was about what she liked, not about making an impression. Though he hoped he would be making an impression tonight. She’d been really pleased about how he’d handled the situation with the Asgardians and with Fury. Best to do this when he’d managed to get fully in her good graces. He filled the champagne flutes and patted his pocket. Yep, he was all set. “Please tell me you didn’t go for the Dom,” Pepper said as she came out of her dressing room.

He looked up and nearly dropped the glasses. She was wearing a gold satin teddy and nothing else. God, she was gorgeous. “You look amazing, even more amazing than usual,” was all he could manage to say.

Pepper smiled and posed a bit for him. “Thank you.” She reached out an elegant hand for the flute he was clutching and he had to focus to remember to let go of it and to hold on to his. Jeez. “What are we celebrating?” she asked.

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Do you know what you are to me?” he asked as she stared at him with a bemused expression.

“Your right hand in business and your best friend.”

“Besides that.”

“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?” Pepper smiled at his grin and settled down on the side of the bed, one long leg tucked under her.

“Okay, here goes…and don’t interrupt, okay, or I’ll get sidetracked, you know how I get.”

“Right, no interruptions.”

“Pepper Potts, my very best friend in the whole world, or out of it, is: Amazing, beautiful, courageous, daunting - don’t interrupt,” he said as she frowned and started to talk. “It’s very daunting to face you when I’ve screwed up. Elegant, flirty - or at least I always think you sound flirty when you’re talking to other men, but that’s probably just my insecurities speaking. “Gorgeous, honest, intelligent, jealous, or I hope you get as jealous when I talk to other women as I do when you talk to other men. Kind, loving, mine?”

“Yours? Well, we’ll see. Are you going to go through the entire alphabet?”

“Uh, yeah or mostly. Is that okay?” he responded as he moved to stand in front of her, free hand in his pocket.

She laughed. “Okay, carry on.”

“Naughty, especially in that little…outfit. God, I’m salivating here.” He paused as she laughed again. This was going better than he’d expected. “Optimistic, and I’ve needed you to be, thank you. Powerful, I mean, jeez, you outmaneuvered the god of Mischief and Lies with a few well placed words. Quick-witted, responsible, again, really, really good because I’m not. Sexy, tolerant - of my bullshit, thank you again, and understanding - of my moods, vivacious and, uh, oh yeah, will.

“Will?”

“Yep.” He dropped down to his knees, pulled out the little box from Tiffany’s and popped open the lid. “Will you marry me?”

… …

“That was the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard from Stark, and that’s saying something,” Nick Fury muttered as he paced his office.

Raj Nassar looked up at him with his trademark soothing smile. “Did you expect anything less?”

Fury snorted. “No, but that was an interesting tack for them to take. Still concerned as to whether we’re doing the right thing. It’s bad enough manipulating the established Avengers or even normal agents to advance our agenda. But Dr. Gunnarssen has been dragged into this, she didn’t want anything to do with S.H.I.E.L.D., I basically conscripted her with the threat of never working in her field again, and now I’m pimping her out to a crazy extraterrestrial. It does not sit well, doctor.”

“If it helps any, she’s in love with the crazy extraterrestrial.”

“Excuse me?” Nick turned to stare at the soft-spoken psychiatrist. “Isn’t that a breach of doctor/patient confidentiality?”

“Only if she had told me so directly or I had discovered it from a professional session. She did not; this is from my personal observations outside of our sessions.”

“I don’t know if that makes it any more right, but thanks. It does lift a bit of the guilt.”

Nassar nodded. “I know. She’s still going to be traumatized. Eventually, Asgard will send someone to bring him back.”

Nick sighed. “And then I’ll have a brokenhearted pyrokinetic projective empath on my hands. Wonderful.”

“Isn’t that better than a wrathful god?”

“Honestly? If she were to unleash her full potential, I’m not so certain.”

… …

Loki closed his eyes to breathe in Kara’s distinctive lavender and vanilla laced scent. So soothing, or perhaps what was soothing was holding her pliant form snuggled close in his arms. He brushed back a lock of wavy multi-hued hair back over her ear and smiled when she looked up at him. Those amazing kaleidoscope eyes were sparkling with mischief, just the way he liked them. “Somehow I don’t think this is what Fury would have pictured when he was told I needed observation.”

He smirked at the thought. “Likely not. Though surprisingly enough, I am certain it’s what Stark and Banner expected. I still don’t understand why. They don’t approve of your feelings for me.”

“It’s nothing personal, you know. They just don’t want to see me hurt.” She frowned when he started to object. “Don’t start. They’d be just as worried if I’d fallen for anybody else.”

“Doubtful. But then, they do have cause to worry…I have given them such.” He traced the line of her stubborn jaw then let his fingers trail down her neck to toy with her lovely breasts. “I do believe you may need more detailed observation,” he murmured as he leaned in to kiss the sweet spot where her neck met her shoulder. She shivered as his soft kiss became deeper and more aggressive.

“Damn, I love that so much,” Kara whispered.

“I think you love other things much more.” He smiled as he pinched one sweet nipple and made her gasp. She shuddered as he continued to tease one nipple with his fingers and took the other in his mouth and suckled strongly. Nipping it carefully, he brought it to full, swollen attention. Beautiful. The nipple he’d pinched and twisted beckoned and he turned his oral attention to that one as well until his lady began to whimper. “Is that sweet quim wet for me already?” he asked.

Kara squirmed and he glanced up to see pink staining her cheeks. “Yes,” she admitted breathlessly. He chuckled at her embarrassment and reached down to slide his fingers between her very damp folds. After a last and firm bite to her nipple, he kissed his way down to her tempting and now glistening sex.

Loki smiled as he spread her outer lips to reveal the inner and that amazing jewel that was her clit. Exposing it fully, he breathed on it, and smiled at her shiver. He tapped the small nub with one finger then began to play freely. Her hips lifted automatically into the pressure he was providing. “Sweet,” he murmured. “So giving.” She moaned and he looked up to find her frowning at him. “What’s wrong, love?” he asked.

“When do I get my turn to play?” she asked. “You did tell me I could play later, and it is later.”

“Hmm. I suppose I must keep my promise then. How do you manage that?”

“What?”

“I’ve made more promises to you in the past few weeks than I have to any other person in my entire lifetime. And I didn’t even see or speak with you for nearly two of those weeks.”

… …

Kara shrugged. “People make promises to me all the time. Most of them even keep them. I’ve never really thought about why.” She pulled herself up to a sitting position and pointed firmly down at the mattress. “Lay down so I can play.”

His smile was wicked. “Of course, my lady; but be gentle with me.”

“Humph. I wouldn’t know the difference between gentle or not, you know I have no idea what I’m doing.” She waited until he’d settled and then leaned forward to kiss the smirk from his lips. “No smirking at me. If I’m doing something wrong, just tell me, don’t laugh at me or I’ll be too embarrassed to continue.”

“I’ll do my best.” He grinned as she smacked her hand down on his flat stomach irritably. “Lesson one,” he said. “Don’t hit or squeeze my privates with that kind of force. While it wouldn’t do any permanent damage, it would still hurt like hell and spoil the mood.”

“That much I’d gathered,” she grumped and ran her fingers over his highly defined abdominals. “I thought you said you were scrawny, this is not scrawny this is cut.”

“Compared to Thor, or to most Æsir, I am not considered at all muscular.”

“Phooey. You have a runner’s or swimmer’s musculature. Long, lean, tight as all heck. Just because it’s not bodybuilder type of muscle, doesn’t mean it isn’t very fine.” Kara frowned and looked closer at the area above where the Asgardian mystery organ, the meng mein, was situated. “All of your other scars healed,” she muttered. “Why didn’t these?”

Loki lifted his head to look down. “They were contaminated by the energy leakage. It damaged the cell’s ability to properly regenerate. It’s no matter.” He shrugged. “And it will remind me never to underestimate anyone.”

She laid her cheek down on the puckered scars. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” she whispered.

“I am not. It gave me you, and I wouldn’t change that. Oh, gods, woman, don’t cry.”

“Sorry, I…sometimes you just say the sweetest thing when I don’t think you’re intending to.”  His frown was perplexed. “Never mind, back to playing,” she told him and leaned back up to give him another quick kiss. “Hmm, now let’s see what you think about this.” She flicked her fingernail against one of his hard, almost flat nipples and grinned as his breath quickened. “Oh, so that is sensitive for men, too.” Leaning over she took it delicately between her teeth and laved it with her tongue. His moan was soft, but it was there. Moreover, his semi-hard cock twitched sharply. “Nice,” she decided. “Huh. Compared to the full Asgard…uh Æsir, you have almost no body hair. I guess that’s a Jötunn trait?”

“What? For pity’s sake Kara, are you playing or is this an anatomy discussion?”

“Playing, but I’m curious, I can’t help it. My other doctorate is in genetics and I did train as a researcher.” She grinned at his long-suffering sigh. “Okay, I’ll put away the scientist train of thought.”

“Good.”

She giggled. “Hmm, so…my curiosity doesn’t seem to have bothered not-so-little Loki.”

“Not so what?”

“Men here on Earth tend to refer to their penis as ‘little whatever their first name is’. Yours isn’t little, so…”

“You are torturing me a-purpose, aren’t you? This is some insidious plot to break me.”

Kara laughed so hard she nearly fell off of the bed. “No,” she gasped as she righted herself. “Oh, come on. Have I ever done anything the way you would have expected?”

“You have not. I-gods, woman. I don’t know how I managed to deserve or earn your love, but I am glad of it.”

“Oh, Loki. Love isn’t earned, and it isn’t deserved or undeserved. It just is.” She wrapped her hand firmly around his cock, smiling as it hardened almost immediately. “This, on the other hand, needs to be both earned and deserved. Luckily for you, you’ve managed both.”

… …

Luckily indeed, Loki thought as she began toying with his erection. Damned woman was going to be the death of him with her all but innocent experimentation. She was also a very quick study. In mere minutes she’d determined what parts were more sensitive and how they would react to different stimuli. He watched avidly as she dragged the smooth nails of one hand along the length of his cock as she delicately licked the tip. Well, tried to watch. The sensation was too delicious and he felt his eyes close as he enjoyed it. “Hmm, liked that, did you?” she asked softly.

He grinned as he looked at her. “Very much. What else do you have in store for me, sweet lady?” While she didn’t speak, Kara’s answering smile was wicked. She’d gained a great deal of confidence from his reactions so far. His eyes widened as she moved over him and took the head in her hot mouth. He really hadn’t expected this so soon from her. A groan escaped as she slid his staff deeper, her lips stretched and pressed hard against him. The urge to thrust was almost overwhelming, but he didn’t want to frighten her. His head dropped back as she began to suck deeply. “Gods, Kara. Someone had to have taught you this,” he muttered.

Too soon she pulled away. His staff was throbbing, straining for release. “No,” she said with slight blush. “But girls do talk about sex, you know.”

“Bless them all,” he muttered. “I need you, love, very badly now, are you done with your play?”

“For now,” Kara agreed. It was his turn to grin as he sat, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. Fondling her full breasts he continued to kiss and nibble on her lips until she began to squirm in his grasp, then moved on to her neck and breasts. One hand trailed down to check her readiness. Apparently her play had kept her well in the mood, she was still highly aroused.

“Hard and fast, now, all right?” he asked. She nodded and he moved her to her hands and knees on the bed then knelt behind her. Groaning he pressed deeply into her wet heat until he was fully seated. Her moan and slight wriggle told him she was ready and he began to thrust, as promised, hard and fast. There was no better feeling in the universe, he decided, than giving pleasure to a woman who was not only willing, but who loved you. Her gasps and soft cries spurred him on and he continued to pound firmly into her clinging sex, groaning as he came closer and closer to release. Far too soon he felt her control shatter and she was wildly twisting and throwing her body back against him. He laughed joyfully, took a firmer hold of her hips and let his own control fail, thrusting hard, deep and strong as he spilled his seed. Her arms had collapsed and she was lying face down on the mattress, still on her knees. Loki wrapped his arms around her waist and let his body fall to the side, drawing her along with him. “Perfect,” he whispered as he drew her trembling form back against him and stroked her damp skin soothingly.


	18. Chapter 18

Loki sighed at the touch of soft fingers fondling his sex. He could easily get accustomed to waking up like this. “Did I wake you?” his Kara asked.

“You can wake me like that anytime, sweetness,” he told her as he gathered her in his arms. “Did you sleep well?”

“Mmm. Yes.” She looked up at him, a bit of pink coloring her cheeks. “I think you tired me out too much to think.”

“Good. That means I pleased you well.”

The minx snorted softly. “It means I was exhausted.” She grinned as he pretended to glare at her. “Okay, I admit it. It was the lovemaking that wore me out. So when are you going to wear me out again?”

His glare at the inoffensive clock imbedded in the wall was not feigned. “Not until much later, unfortunately. Don’t pout. We need to bathe before we go do your damned scans.” He smiled as she sighed and patted his awakening staff.

“Fine. Spoil my fun by mentioning work. Humph.”

“You are the one who insisted, Kara.”

“I know, it really does need to get done. It’s been two weeks and I don’t seem to be improving. I’ve been doing healing protocols on myself daily, but I’m still getting the same severity of headaches.” She frowned. “Would you let us scan you again after I’ve done a few days of healing on you?”

“I’m indulging you as it is.”

“It really could tell me if the damage is healable at all. If it doesn’t improve in you, it definitely won’t in me and we’d need to look at other options.” He raised an eyebrow at her use of ‘we’. “Uh, I mean S.H.I.E.L.D.’s research staff, including me,” she clarified.

“Hmm. I’ll consider it, depending on what you find out from today’s scans.” He took her chin in one hand and frowned at her hopeful expression. “I said I’d consider it, leave it at that,” he advised. “Now, let’s get that bath, shall we?”

“Showers would be faster.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “Showers are uncivilized. We’re taking a bath.” Loki slipped off of the bed and scooped her up in his arms. “No arguing, I’m not in the mood,” he warned her. Kara wisely compressed her lips together, though she was still looking at him with that damned expression. She’d best not get used to him indulging her too much. It simply wasn’t in his nature. He did what _he_ wanted, not what some mortal female…he shuddered as he set her down on the vanity bench. “Wait here,” he ordered her tersely.

“Loki?”

“Enough. Wait here,” he told her again and returned to the bedroom, closing the bathing room’s door behind him.

… …

Kara stared at the door in shock. Loki’s mood had shifted suddenly, just before he’d set her down. Until that point, he’d been indulgent, affectionate, caring; then she’d felt a sudden flash of anger and distaste. What the hell? She waited patiently for a few minutes then stretched out her senses to try and read him deliberately. Loki’s emotional aura was a tumultuous mix of disgust, annoyance and…pain? Who was he disgusted with? Why was he annoyed? Her staying, them being intimate had all been his idea, hadn’t it? She felt a tear dripping down her cheek. Damn it. Turning on the chair to face the mirror she laid her head on her arms and tried to calm down. She’d finally managed to tamp her upset down when the bathroom door opened and Loki came back in. Kara badly wanted to ask him what was wrong, but his feel was still so turbulent, she was afraid to push. She sat silently, looking up at him in the mirror.

Loki stared at the mirror, meeting her eyes in it. He frowned, reached for a tissue and gently wiped her cheeks. “I…apologize. I have no wish for my issues to give you pain.” His mouth twisted as he rested his hands on her shoulders. “Perhaps it would be best if you stayed with S.H.I.E.L.D. until I am gone. I can’t be trusted to…to treat you as you wish to be treated.”

“I’d rather stay with you,” she told him as she stood and moved around the stool. “I know I’m not your ideal. I know I’m just a mortal, I’ll grow old and…” she stopped talking as he pressed his fingers against her lips.

“And I remember that from time to time, and it…disturbs me. I may treat you unkindly when I do. You don’t deserve that. I’m very aware that you can feel it, so no lie from my lips will make it tolerable for you. I will end up hurting you badly should you stay.”

“You must think I’m pretty pathetic to be okay with that.” Kara was trying not to cry, but her vision was starting to blur with the withheld tears. “Loki, it’s already too late for me not to be hurt. If I leave now, I’ll still hurt. If I stay, I’ll hurt, but at least I’ll have some memories of you once…” She swallowed as the tears spilled out. “Never mind, I get it. It’s all about you. You don’t need a crying mortal female dragging you down. Fine. Will you at least still get the scan so this pathetic human has a chance of finding out how to heal herself?”

“For once, just once, it is not about me,” he insisted. “I told you, I’m selfish, I want nothing more than to have your touch, your caring. But…ah, hells. I suppose it is about me after all. I suppose, if I am honest with myself, I’m starting to feel guilty about the pain I know you are feeling.” Loki laughed, but the sound was bitter. “That’s another first, you know.” His arms enfolded her and she wrapped hers around his waist. “Yes, sweet Kara. You’ll get your scans. Not only do I owe you, I do want you well. And I do want you here with me.”

… …

His poached egg was coming along nicely, Bruce decided as he hit the plunger on the toaster. Everything should be ready at the same time for a change. He pulled the butter from the fridge and pulled a plate from the cabinet. He glanced over at the table where an uncharacteristically subdued Kara was pushing her scrambled eggs around on her plate. Loki was putting food in his mouth and chewing methodically, but didn’t seem to be noticing what he was eating. Apparently their night had not gone as well as he, Tony and Pepper had hoped.

Speaking of the devil, Tony strode into the kitchen whistling half under his breath. At least someone was in a good mood. “Good morning, everybody,” he sang out. They all turned to stare at him. “What?”

“You’re awake. At nine in the morning; why are you happy about it?” Bruce had to ask.

“Oh, well, you know. It’s a brand new day, and all that kind of stuff.”

Kara’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God; you did it, didn’t you? You finally got off of the fence and did it.”

“Yep, should have done it ages ago. You were right.”

Bruce snorted. “She’s always right.”

“No, not always, just about some things,” Kara said quietly, darting a look at Loki.

Yeah, things hadn’t gone well there at all, Bruce decided. “So, congratulations, Tony. Have you two discussed a date yet?”

“Uh, no. Pepper’s going to look at our schedules and narrow down something, uh, appropriate, she said. Then we can decide.” Tony shrugged looking sheepish. “Meaning she’s going to let me know. I don’t really care. I just want it to happen.”

Loki was frowning, looking back and forth between the three of them. “Obviously I’ve missed something,” he finally decided.

“Yes. Tony finally proposed to Pepper. They’re going to get married,” Kara told him. Loki didn’t respond other than to stand and walk out of the room. “Shit,” Kara muttered.

“What’s going on, doc?” Tony asked.

“Jesus, Tony, I really wish I knew.”

… …

Fandral dutifully strapped himself into the padded seat then turned to see if Hogun was having any problems. He’d made enough trips in the airborne vehicles by now that the fastenings were second nature. Hogun still struggled grimly with them. He grinned as the buckle snapped in place, glad he hadn’t been forced to annoy his brooding friend by lending assistance. One of the two S.H.I.E.L.D. pilots looked back toward them. “Sir,” the man asked. “Are the others on their way?”

“I wish I knew,” Fandral told him. When they’d left their suite to head to the elevator, Loki had stormed past them, returning to his. The lady healer had followed a few minutes later, but they’d heard nothing from either since. He looked back down the ramp as he heard the door open. Dr. Banner was headed out to them, and he was alone.

“Loki and Kara aren’t here?” he asked, unnecessarily, Fandral thought.

“No, doctor. I have not seen them since they returned to his suite.”

“Okay, let’s give it a few minutes,” the human said after running a hand over his face and frowning thoughtfully. He leaned in and looked toward the front of the craft. “Gentlemen, sorry for the delay,” he called out. “We should be good to go momentarily.”

The door opened again. Loki strode out, his expression closed; his hand covering the healer’s where it was tucked in the crook of his arm. Fandral decided all must be well if Loki was bothering with social courtesies. The two followed a relieved looking Dr. Banner on board and took seats, buckling themselves in swiftly. “Good morrow, Loki,” Fandral offered before turning to the lady. “I hope your head is feeling improved, my lady.” Hogun remained annoying silent, despite their discussion after they’d returned to their chambers the night before.

Loki looked sharply at him. For once his expression and the surprise in it were readable. “Good morrow, Fandral,” he said before turning back to his lady. “Is your headache gone today, Kara? I apologize, I neglected to ask.”

She smiled. “It’s fine, thank you both. I just needed to sleep it off, I guess.”

“Sirs, Ma’am? Is Mr. Stark joining us?” one of the men up front asked.

“He’ll be flying in himself. We’re good to go,” Banner told them.

“Thank you, doctor.” The man checked that all of them we strapped in, signaled to his partner, and the vehicle leapt into the air.

… …

Nick Fury watched as the Quinjet coming in from Stark Tower landed. Agent Hill, shadowing him again, frowned at the Asgardians. “What is _he_ doing back here,” she hissed.

“I distinctly recall telling you that Loki has consented…”

“Not Loki, Fandral. I swear, if he so much as starts…” she stopped talking abruptly as the group approached. Nick tried not to smile as Hill edged behind him. He could well imagine she was setting her face into a ferocious scowl. Nodding politely at the group, he focused on Loki and Dr. Gunnarssen. “Doctor, how is your migraine this morning?” he asked.

“It’s gone. I’m sorry if Bruce and Tony alarmed you. They were being a bit overcautious. It was only a drop of blood; I’ve had worse from sneezing.”

“So long as you’re well now, that’s all that matters,” he said smoothly. Loki frowned at him. The Asgardian Prince wasn’t buying it.

“She is _not_ truly well, so it still matters greatly. If your people had not used untested technology of a sort you have no hope of understanding, she would not have this issue,” he snarled.

“Loki, I was the test. I told you, I volunteered,” Dr. Gunnarssen told him.

“No, Kara. They tested it on me. You saw what that accomplished.” He frowned down at her sigh. “Yes, I know. They had little choice. I…” Loki trailed off, shaking his head. “Let us get these scans of yours so that we may discover how to heal you.”

Nick took a step back as the pair swept past him, heading towards Medical. “You don’t want to know,” Banner muttered to him as he followed them. Nick ruthlessly repressed a shudder as he watched three of the most dangerous people he’d ever met stroll deeper into his boat. 

… …

Loki frowned as he watched Kara being moved into a scanning device. He’d been told the thing used a variety of methods to scan and map the various systems of the body, including their target, the nervous system. It would, Banner explained, take upwards of an hour. He gave her a last attempt at a reassuring smile before her face disappeared into the bowels of the device. Looking about, he realized that no one was paying him the least bit of attention. Loki smirked and decided to see what mischief he could ferment before someone noticed he was gone.

Oddly, the mortals scurrying about didn’t even give him a second glance. He looked down at the black slacks and black button down shirt Kara had suggested he wear with new appreciation. It fit in quite well with the S.H.I.E.L.D uniform of black on black. Striding purposefully down the hall, Loki examined different signs and directional markings to compare against the map he’d memorized. Nick Fury’s office should be right down this corridor.

And there it was. The conference room just before Fury’s door was open and empty. He entered and found the door that connected to Fury’s inner sanctum. As he suspected, the material conducted sound to his ears with no difficulty. Loki settled himself down on the floor, out of sight of the conference room’s entrance and leaned back against the door to listen.

… …

“Despite Dr. Banner’s odd comment, it seems to be going rather well, then,” Raj commented as Fury paced behind his desk.

“Is it, Dr. Nassar?” the director asked. He paced some more.

“Loki broke off the beginnings of an angry tirade and behaved reasonably. I would call that successful. Did he seem to be in pain?”

“Not that I noticed, no.”

“Hmm, either his nervous system is healing well, or he did not suppress the use of his magic. We won’t know which until the scans are complete. I don’t think even he could heal that quickly, though. Not from two weeks of regular exposure to the expanded lockdown. I believe he simply wasn’t that angry, and that, I believe, is due to Kara’s influence.”

“I’ll have to _reluctantly_ approve her remaining there once her team comes in to argue the point. Knowing Stark, the reasons they come up with should be entertaining. God knows I could use some damn entertainment after dealing with the Council of Regents. They’ve asked for a more comprehensive report on ‘the Hellbringer potential’ as they call it. I cannot believe how eager the damned chicken-hawks are to make her into a super weapon. The disturbing thing is, once they had proof she could be such a weapon, they’d shit themselves and order her destroyed. That is not going to happen on my watch.”

“Kara needs to be made aware of their interest. Otherwise she’s likely to share more about her abilities with her team members as she comes to trust them. We don’t know that…”

“I do know. I’m not concerned with the Avengers. They’ll close ranks and protect her; we’re seeing that already with Banner and Stark. Rogers will stand for her as well; he wouldn’t take kindly to anyone being targeted without cause, and Thor pretty much thinks she walks on water since she saved his brother’s life.”

“Hmm, I agree. Barton wouldn’t turn on her either. He’s in a much better place after working with her. I’m not so certain about Romanov. Though they seem to have a developing friendship, the Black Widow’s loyalties are to S.H.I.E.L.D. rather than to the Avengers.”

“And to Barton, don’t forget she owes him. No, I’m not worried about any of them. However, my agents here could be problematic. Some of them are blindly loyal and a few are…ambitious. All future testing she does here must be limited to what she’s already displayed.” Fury smiled. “In exchange for _allowing_ Kara to return to Stark’s tower, I’ll insist he build her a secure testing facility there.”  

“He would do that anyway, so he’ll count it an easy victory,” Raj mused. “Have the Asgardians heard anything from Thor?”

“Nothing and that worries me. He knows how volatile Loki is. We don’t how long Dr. Gunnarssen can continue to keep him distracted from wreaking havoc here; it’s nerve-wracking, like sitting on an explosive and not being able to see the countdown on the timer.”

Raj froze; his heart was in his throat as a familiar voice snarled at them. “I can keep myself distracted.”

… …

Nick hated days like these. He hated them with a passion. Clenching his jaw, he forced himself to casually turn toward the figure that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. “Loki, here on earth, we consider it polite to knock before entering someone’s private office.”

The apparently no longer broken god sneered. “It ceased to become private when you chose to discuss me and what is mine.” Nick blinked in an effort to suppress his surprise at that statement. “Tell me, director,” Loki spat. “Does. She. Know.”

Loki’s ‘lie to me and you die’ glare would have reduced a lesser man to a quivering mass of fear. Nick Fury was made of sterner stuff, but he still admitted to a distinct unease. “I don’t know what…”

The god slammed the heels of his hands down on Nick’s sole personal possession in the office: a custom built desk with a marble desktop. The marble cracked. “Do not dissemble, Fury. I am the god of Lies and you cannot deceive or distract me with your prattle. Does Kara know that you are whoring her out in a feeble effort to control me?”

Dr. Nassar spoke up. “No, Loki. She would never willingly be a part of such a thing, you know that.”

Nick let out the breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding as the tension left Loki’s shoulders.  “The only reason I do not kill the both of you for this is your willingness to protect her from your own kind,” he informed them as he sat down in one of the visitor chairs. The still scowling prince glanced sharply at the door behind Nassar an instant before it began to open.  Of course. The fucking icing on today’s fucking cake.

… …

“Hey Nick, old buddy, I was in the neighborhood…” Tony trailed off as he saw his houseguest sitting in a side chair, looking like he was fit to kill. This wasn’t good. The fancy blue pearl marble top, the sole source of color in Fury’s office, had two deep cracks on the edge closest to their borderline psychopath. “So, Lokes, what’s got your panties in an uproar?”

“Kara tells me you consider her an honorary little sister, Stark. Is that true?” Loki snapped in a voice as pissy as his expression.

Hmm, well, answering that shouldn’t get him in too much hot water. “Yeah, so?”

“So, your director has deemed it appropriate to whore out your little sister to appease a dangerous enemy, what think you of that?”

“Son of a bitch. You know, the big guy and I were thinking Fury rolled over just a little too easy last night. But we put it down to exhaustion and paranoia.” He turned to glare at Fury. “So, why’s his marble cracked instead of his skull?”

“He’s protecting Kara from his council, I assume by understating her abilities.”

“Uh huh. Cool beans, then.” He turned back to Fury. “She’ll be staying at my tower permanently. If any of your people need therapy, they come there. Unarmed.”

“Agreed. We’ll have to keep the fiction of you convincing me she needs to be there.”

“Yeah, we’ll do that. Shit.” He frowned at Loki. “I should have kept the suit on.”

The god’s left eyebrow rose. “Why is that?”

“That marble needs to be in pieces. Don’t suppose you’d like to take another shot at it?”

Loki snorted. “How many pieces did you have in mind?”

Tony found himself grinning at the mischievous expression that had Loki’s mouth twitching. He glanced at Fury whose façade of calm was finally cracking. Good. Served the bastard right. “Oh, about a hundred should do it. You up for that?”

Shrugging, Loki stood. “You might as well see this now. I know there have been questions, and I’d rather not endure the gossip and speculation once the scans have been completed should they have an, shall we say, adverse effect on my control.”

Tony tried to remain nonchalant, but it was a struggle as he watched the tall, pale, Norse god turn a bright shade of blue. His mouth dropped open when the green eyes, not just the irises but the whites, turned blood red. He could feel the cold radiating off of him. “Wow, cool. Uh, no pun intended,” he added hastily as the half-Frost Giant frowned at him. “Seriously, ‘cool’ was the word to use to describe something awesome when I was growing up.” He snuck a look at Fury and Nassar. Both of them looked like they were carrying loads in their pants. Nice.

Frosty put his hands down on the marble surface, it glazed over immediately. He held on, the red eyes brightening hellishly, until the desktop resembled a large slab of ice. “It might be more than a hundred,” he said with an outright smirk.

“That’s co…uh, that would be okay,” Tony managed.

“I’d advise you all to step back and cover your faces.” Loki let go of the frozen surface, moved to where he could reach the middle, fisted his blue hands together, and brought them down sharply.

The shattering of the frozen marble sounded a bit like the glass shattering when Loki had thrown him through his window. But this was a hell of a lot louder and a hell of a lot more fun. Tony turned and nodded appreciatively. The base of the desk and the floor around it were covered with small shards of still frozen marble. “Nice.” He gave Fury a nasty grin. “Don’t mess with my honorary sister.”

“I’m billing you for that desk, Stark,” Fury grated.

“Good luck with that.” He looked at Loki whose blue tint was fading to his usual death-warmed over tone. “You ready to head back to Medical? They’re ready for you.” Loki shrugged and moved toward the door. “Oh, Raj. Kara said she’ll meet you in your office, she needs to chat. I’d suggest you not mention this, any of it. She might get a bit testier than either of us. I’ll clue her in on the council when we get home.”

… …

Loki contained his laughter until they were well clear of Fury’s office. He hadn’t had this much fun in quite some time. Stark shot him a conspiratorial grin. “That was…uh, awesome. Did you see the looks on their faces?”

“I did. Though I’d have preferred it not be necessary, it was…enjoyable.”

“I’ll bet. So, uh, has Kara seen that?”

“She did not say?” Odd, he’d thought she would be certain to share the information. Of course, she was wildly unpredictable. That particular quality was both enjoyable and frustrating. He smiled. Mostly enjoyable.

“Well, she’s pretty good at keeping secrets. Has to be in her line of work.” Stark paused, looking thoughtful. “She’s also protective of you, don’t abuse it.”

“I shan’t. I have sworn to her that I shall never knowingly harm her. You can ask Fandral the value of my word should you doubt it.”

“That’s okay. I get the feeling you don’t give it much. Too easy for you to talk your way around it and give people the impression you’ve promised something when you haven’t. Am I right?”

“Very perceptive of you. Yes.” Loki frowned. He’d thought the man’s intellect lay solely in his technological pursuits. He’d underestimated Stark again.


	19. Chapter 19

Kara came out from behind a screen as they arrived in Medical, smoothing the hem of her blouse down around her hips. “Where were you?” she asked curiously.

Loki smiled. “Oh, just renewing acquaintances,” he told her as Stark choked. He gave the billionaire a sharp look. “You should have some water, Stark. All of that alcohol dries out the throat, you know.”

“That’s what coffee is for.” Stark was still grinning. Fool would get them in trouble with Kara if he kept it up. “Raj is heading for his office, Kara, he’ll meet you there.”

“Okay.” Kara gave both of them suspicious looks. “You’ve been up to something, but I don’t think I want to know what it was.” Loki simply lifted an eyebrow, Stark began to protest. “No, Tony. I know you both well enough to know when something’s up. Just…try not to destroy anything or anyone, okay?”

Damnation. He started laughing before Stark did, but only because the human was choking again. “No one was hurt,” he managed in the face of his lady’s glare. “And it was well deserved. Ask your honorary brother here.”

The man nodded vigorously. “Absolutely. Scouts honor.”

“I swear…oh, hell. Tony, you were never a boy scout.” Kara sighed. “I really don’t want to know. Seriously. Just try not to destroy anything in here. Please?”

Loki sobered. “I will try not to. I do have a small concern,” he told her as Dr. Banner approached.

“What’s that?” Banner asked.

“I do not know how your technology will affect my magic. It may cause a reaction I cannot fully control.” He smirked as Stark paled.

“What kind of reaction?” the doctor asked mildly.

Stark looked around to see if any of the other mortals were close enough to overhear before speaking. “Uh, he turns about as blue as you do green. And freezes everything he touches. That wouldn’t do the scanner any good.”

“No, it wouldn’t. How touchy is your control?”

“Not very. But if my body interprets the energy your machines use for the scan as an attack, it could be a problem.”

Kara frowned at them. “Maybe we should just forget it.”

“No, Kara, I’ve promised this.”

“If we do break it, I’ll replace it, it’ll be okay, this is important,” Stark added.

Banner frowned thoughtfully. “I think if we go over exactly what you’ll feel so that you are fully expecting it, we should be okay. I can run the scanner without you in it first. You can lean in and put your hand inside to feel the energy in the different phases to test it out. If your conscious mind knows what’s happening, it should increase your control.”

“That sounds…reasonable. And if I cannot control it in the test, then we will have to find another way.”

“Or I can just replace the damn thing if necessary. It’s not like I can’t afford it,” Stark grumped.

“Tony, it’s not about the money,” Kara told him. “Loki doesn’t want to frighten the people here or cause more problems that will be reported to Asgard. Even if it wouldn’t be his fault, the intolerant bastards might find a way to make it count against him.”

“That true, Loki?” Stark asked, for once not using an insulting nickname.

He decided to return the courtesy by being truthful. “It’s not about the fright so much as I would find such a loss of control…embarrassing. But yes, it would be reported to Asgard, and with the prejudice against the Jötnar, it would be held against me.”

“Loki,” Kara said as she took his arm and moved in close. “I release you from that promise. Do what you think is best based on the test scan, okay?”

“Yes, sweet lady. I think Dr. Banner is correct, though. If I know what to expect, it should be fine.”

… …

Raj looked up as Kara edged into his treatment room. “Is this to be a session, Kara?” he asked. “If not, we can use my office.”

“This is fine, I-I’m overdue and I really need your input.”

“No problem, have a seat.” Kara sat down in the plush recliner she preferred, sighing deeply as she sank into the cushions. “You look well.”

“I’m feeling a lot better than last night. We had an issue. Hogun decided to shun Loki; it was, well, vile. I haven’t been so tempted to hurt anyone in practically forever. Needless to say, I didn’t turn him to ash, and well, it hurt. Badly.”

“But you held back.”

“Yes. I did a projection, though. I made them feel the pain they…uh, Hogun and Fandral, had caused Loki. I didn’t magnify it or anything, I just needed to make them understand the kind of harm words alone could cause.”

“Seems reasonable considering many of Loki’s problems are due to the Asgardians not understanding the power of their words to hurt so deeply.”

Kara sighed. “It was out of line. I had no right to do it, and if Loki finds out, he’s going to be pissed.”

“He’s a proud man. He wants to fight his own battles.”

“I know. But I hurt for him. I still have so little objectivity where he’s concerned.”

“We rarely do when it comes to people we love.”

She laughed. “Noticed that, did you? Yes. I love him. Stupid as that may be.” Kara lapsed into silence for a few minutes. Raj waited patiently. “How foolish is it to fall in love with a man who can never conceivably return it? Yes, I know. People develop crushes on celebrities they’ll never meet all the time, but it’s not the same. This isn’t a teenage crush, Raj. I love him. I want to protect him, to be there for him, and it’s all so impossible.”

“Have you read him; does he not feel the same for you?”

“No, I haven’t read him about this; that would be horribly unethical. I do pick up that he cares about me, but whether it’s simple lust or something more I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t think I want to know. Even if he didn’t think I was a lesser being because I’m human, even if he did somehow return my feelings, they’ll take him away soon. Assuming they don’t kill him outright, they’re likely to lock him up for well past the remainder of my lifetime.”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps they’ll come to understand why this all happened and forgive him.”

“Right,” Kara scoffed. “Okay, let’s say somehow, by some miracle that happens. I’m going to grow old and die…I’ll be dust before he even seems to have aged a year by our standards. I have nothing to offer him but heartache.”

Raj handed her the ever-present box of tissues as tears began to fall. There was nothing remotely comforting he could say in response to that tragically accurate assessment. “So you’ve given up? Are you going to walk away from him when he needs you most?”

“I’m not going to walk away,” she managed after drying her eyes and blowing her nose. “I-part of me wants to confront him about his feelings, to stand up for myself. But I can’t. Not because I’m not strong enough, I am. If this were a normal situation, if he were human, I would. I wouldn’t stand for him not really telling me how he feels. He does need me. I’m all he has right now, and he really needs someone to care about him unconditionally, without demands, so he can start to heal from the damage that idiot father of his did by lying to him for a thousand years. Not to mention the normal younger brother to a freaking superstar crap that went on.”

“You’re setting yourself up for a great deal of heartache.”

“I know. It’s going to rip me apart, but I can’t not do this, Raj. I know how it feels to be the monster. I know how it feels to have those who should love me walk away from me in fear and disgust. I _cannot_ do that to another living soul. That would destroy me, to do that when know I could ease that pain simply by acknowledging my love and sticking with him for as long as I’m allowed. I can’t walk away from him; I can’t add to his pain by abandoning him just to spare myself. I won’t do it.”

“Will you promise me something?”

“Humph, I thought I was the only one who asked for promises.”

“Not hardly. When he is gone, when you need help with the pain, call me. I’ll come see you every day, as long as it takes until you can handle it on your own. Promise me you will not try to hold the pain inside and that you will not blame yourself or anyone else for it.”

Kara sighed. “I promise I’ll try. And I promise I will ask for and accept help.”

“Good enough, my friend.”

… …

Bruce breathed a sigh of relief as the scanner disgorged the still nervous god of mischief. The soothing harp music had helped. Loki’s rapid blinking had subsided and he’d lain there with his eyes peacefully closed, but the tension had never fully left his sculpted muscles. He bit back a grin as two of the technicians sighed with appreciation as Loki’s body was revealed yet again. The god would no doubt take the female tech’s interest in stride, but her male coworker? Bruce wasn’t so sure. He moved to the foot of the table and held out a hand to assist Loki in rising. “I know, you don’t need help, but being confined like that tends to stiffen the muscles a bit.”

The corner of Loki’s mouth twitched and he looked annoyed, but he accepted the hand and sat up, swinging his long legs over the edge of the cushioned surface as he did so. The two techs sighed again and Loki’s eyebrows rose. “Thank you, doctor,” was all he said as Bruce handed him his pants.

Bruce nodded, stepped back and fought to hide a grin as the god slowly put on his briefs…was he? Yes, the damn man was actually posing for the gawking duo, flexing muscles, stretching out. He turned away and let the grin emerge. Tony was standing there, also gawking, though his attention was more on the antics of the almost drooling techs than on those of the god. “When you’re done dressing, Kara is going to meet you and Tony in the gym,” Bruce said over his shoulder. “You and your brother’s friends are going to help her test out her new armor, if you don’t mind.”

“No, not at all. Though I thought it was tested. Really Stark, did you employ yet more technology without a thorough test? Will you never learn?” Loki asked with a distinct edge to his voice.

“Get off it, Snowman. The testing is for her to get used to wearing it and what the tolerances are. I have thoroughly tested it, I know what it would take to make it fail, but she needs to know for herself so she doesn’t get overconfident. It will help protect her, but it doesn’t make her invulnerable, and she needs to understand that first hand.”

“Ah.” Loki walked to a point between them and paused as he buttoned the black long-sleeved shirt. “That makes sense, then. I agree. Was there an issue with making the armor more invulnerable?”

“Um, yeah,” Tony said, dragging out the word.”Kara’s in good shape, but she’s not excessively strong for a woman and she needs to be able to move in it. Much more protection and she’d need to have powered armor just to walk. It’s not like we expect her to go head to head with something big and bad like I can. She just needs to be within line of sight of her targets and to be able to concentrate without worrying about someone shooting her or something else, um, mundane.”

“I see. If the All-Father should decide he owes you for your services in hosting me, ask him for metal-working secrets for a lighter and stronger alloy. I cannot give them to you without consequences, but he can, within limitations, if he feels you have earned it.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks for the tip.”

… …

Kara stared at the armor that was again hanging in her office. It had changed since she’d worn it yesterday. Not by a huge amount, but still…when the hell had Tony had the time to work on it? She sighed and looked at the boots, helmet and other oddly shaped things that sat on her desk beside a note from the engineering genius. She turned as the door opened behind her.

“Well, what do you think?” Tony asked. “When you went upstairs yesterday, I found some links attached to my file. Looks like my not-so-mysterious hacker thought some upgrades needed to be made after seeing you in it.”

“How do you get so much done so quickly?” she asked.

“Uh, Jarvis, mostly. I come up with the specs, put it all in, and set it up and the manufacturing process commences. Sure, I have to do some of the assembly and touch-ups by hand, but the dreaming it up and figuring out how to make it work is always the bulk of the process for any creation.”

“Hmm. Where’s Loki?”

“Down in the gym. He wanted to have a private word with Tweedle-dumb and Tweedle-dumber before we got there. He’s concerned they’re going to hurt you accidentally. I think he underestimates my genius.”

She shrugged. “He did that before, and it nearly got him killed. I think he’s learned from that. He probably wants to be sure they know they’re not working with anything magically enhanced like he says his armor and Thor’s is.” Holding up a cuff shaped piece she asked, “How does this work, now?”

… …

Hogun looked up from the weight bench as Loki entered the large room the mortals called a gymnasium. The dark prince was alone for a change. He put the weights back on their holder and watched as the half-breed looked around the facility and then let his gaze rest on him. Loki looked wary. “Where is Fandral?” he finally asked.

Grimacing, Hogun replied. “Chasing after the mortal, Agent Hill…Loki.”

Loki’s eyebrows shot up and he hesitated before speaking. “He never learns. The more he chases them, the faster they run.” Loki crossed the room and took a seat on the bench nearest his.  

Hogun took a long hard look at Thor’s adopted brother. He was a bit thinner and paler than normal, but otherwise looked fully recovered. His eyes, though; they had changed. The usual confident arrogant light in them had died. Small wonder if the man often felt as the lady healer had shown them. Hogun took a deep breath. “Loki, I-I was wrong.” He paused as Loki’s expression showed his surprise. “I have not walked in your boots and it is not my place to judge you. It was dishonorable of me to do so, I apologize.”

“Apology accepted. We’ll speak no more of it, hmm?”

“Agreed.”

The small door in the side of the room slammed open and a woman dressed in the black uniform of the ship’s crew stormed in, Fandral close on her heels. “I believe this belongs to you,” she seethed, pointing at his disconsolate friend. “Please try to keep it on a leash.” Agent Hill spun on her heel and marched back towards the door.

“Agent Hill,” Loki said in a soothing tone. “Fandral does not, in fact, belong to any of us. He is his own man and a warrior of much repute. Even if you are not interested, you should be flattered by his attentions.”

“I have work to do,” she snapped as she exited, sharply pulling the door closed behind her.

Loki shrugged. “Some mortals have less discernment than others, obviously.” He looked up at Fandral and frowned. “You need to be a bit less obvious. I think perhaps you overwhelm them with your presence and the focus of your attentions.”

“I’m certain you’re right, Loki,” Fandral said, somehow sounding like he’d taken the trickster seriously. Of course, Fandral’s ego was legendary. Perhaps he simply wanted to believe Loki’s surely sarcastic advice.

“Of course. Now, gentlemen, before the others arrive, we need to discuss the armor you will be helping to test. The alloy it is made of is not enhanced and does not have the strength or durability of our own armor, nor do the mortals understand the strength of a blow you can deliver. Until we know how it will hold up, I ask you to use no more than a light sparring strength in your attacks lest you do the lady a grave injury.”

This, Hogun decided, was no trick and no lie…nor even an exaggeration. Loki seemed quite concerned about the mortal woman’s safety. “Why do you not test it, then?”

“I cannot strike one of them other than in self-defense without adding to the charges against me. It is best that I do not even take up a weapon while I await Odin’s _pleasure_ ,” Loki muttered somewhat sullenly.

“Loki, I don’t think any of this is the All-Father’s pleasure,” Fandral offered. “He is quite nearly as distraught as Lady Frigga over these events. When you fell from the Bifröst, he seemed to visibly age in mere hours. No one could get scarce more than a word at a time from him until you were found.”

Hogun could see that Loki didn’t believe any of it. “It is true, Loki. There were no feasts, no public meals, and no audiences. Drinking was done in gloom and to ease pain, not for enjoyment. Your brother’s face was streaked by tears as they returned to the Valhöll and Odin was in such turmoil he had to be supported and guided to the royal wing. We mourned, Loki. We all mourned whether you believe it or no.”

“Why?” The question seemed sincere. “None of you were my friends; few ever had a good word for me or about me. Why would anyone mourn my passing?”

“When did you ever allow any to be your friend? Did you ever share a confidence? Did you ever lend a willing hand without thought of what you would gain?” Hogun growled.

“Why should I have offered what was never offered me?” Loki asked. “Did you once think of me as more than a nuisance when we were young? No. I was Thor’s little brother. The one who could never keep up, the pest you were forced to include in your hunts and your games. I was always the afterthought, invited along only because Thor would sulk if I were not. Did all of you think that I could not see your scorn, your pity? I have been a fool, that I’ll admit. But I have never been stupid.”

Hogun frowned and looked at Fandral. The other man stood with his mouth slightly agape, clearly stunned by the accusation. Fandral sighed. “Is that truly how you saw it, Loki?”

“Yes,” he hissed. “It is how it _was_.”

Such pain. He needed no ‘help’ from the lady healer to feel it. Hogun thought hard about the past, about their interactions with Loki. He tried to remember an instance, even one, that would prove the man wrong…and could not. He stood and extended his arm, his hand open, and looked directly into Loki’s eyes so that he could see his sincerity. “I am sorry.” Hogun stood there, waiting, hoping Loki would take the offering of peace and apology for what it was. He breathed more easily when the wronged man took his offering and clasped arms with him.

“Thank you.”

… …

The main doors opened and they turned to watch an armored Kara enter with a suited up Stark. Loki smiled; Stark had found his additional notes and had added improvements to the design. There were now bracers to protect her wrists from heavier impacts, knee cops to protect those critical joints and reinforced boots. The helm, which she held under one arm, was more decorative while being streamlined and providing an improved visual field. “Much better, Stark,” he approved.

“Thank you. It looks a bit medieval, but hey, that’s a valid style choice…especially for people who don’t have regular access to the fashion scene.”

“We’ve kept the style, with improvements, because it works; not as a fashion statement. Kara, how does it feel?”

“Odd. But then, so did the original design.” She shrugged. “I’ll get used to it, I guess. And it is kind of fun.”

“It’s not supposed to be fun.”

“Seriously?” Stark interrupted. “This from the man who wears horns like a gazelle?”

Loki shook his head. “They’re based on the horns of a six-legged serpent…a dragon, if you will, that is found in the far reaches of Asgard.”

“Loki killed one that attacked our hunting party,” Fandral added. “That is why the All-Father granted him the honor of using those horns on his dress helm.”

“What did he do, talk it to death?”

“Tony! Grow up,” Kara scolded.

“He used illusions to distract it, then leapt to its back and plunged daggers through all four of its eyes and into its brain,” Hogun told the humans.

“Wow. That’s seriously…wow,” Stark mumbled.

“It was quite the impressive feat,” Fandral agreed. “He saved our lives and should have been feted, but…Thor scolded him for taking such a chance with his own life, as did Lord Odin and the Lady Frigga. So it is little spoken of.”

“It’s of no consequence,” Loki interrupted. He shook his head in warning as Kara started to protest. “Shall we get on with the testing?”


	20. Chapter 20

Loki frowned up at her from his position on her therapy room couch. “I suppose it is a good use of our time,” he agreed grudgingly as she continued to move healing energy into his nervous system.

“And if another scan this evening after I do a couple of healing sessions on both of us confirms what we’re suspecting, we won’t have to come back to do another one.”

“Perhaps you’re simply misreading the results.”

Kara sighed. “I don’t think so. Bruce is going to run a detailed comparison, but even to the naked eye it looks like my nerve damage has gotten worse, not better.”

“You will find a way to fix it. I have confidence in your ability as a healer.”

“Don’t lie to the empath, Loki. You know it doesn’t work.”

He sat up and tugged her down to sit beside him and held her close. “If you cannot find a way to fix it, ask Thor to plead your case in Asgard. Ultimately, blame for your condition can be laid on me. They should agree to make it right.”

“Don’t take the blame for this. If they hadn’t come up with this technology to contain you, they still would have invented it to contain me. Even the Avengers are afraid of what I can do.”

“They are your friends. I have watched them with you; I have heard them speak of you when they did not know I was present. They care deeply for you and I saw no sign that they feared you.”

“Well, no, they don’t fear _me_ , but what I can do? Hell, yeah. Loki, even I fear what I can do, you know that.”

“And I know you would never abuse it. You have a strong sense of fairness, of justice. Any who feel your power would surely deserve it.” He smiled as she rolled her eyes at him. “Are we done here?”

“You are. Stay out of trouble while I work on myself.”

“Hmm. I’ll make every effort to do so.”

She glared at his mischievous expression. “Loki…”

“Leave off, Kara. I’ll go rescue Agent Hill and distract Fandral. That should provide me enough amusement while you’re busy here.”

… …

Maria was pissed. This amorous buffoon would not stop following her around the carrier. Fury was no help. Her superior had smirked at her and ‘reminded’ her that they needed to play nice with the visitors from Asgard. She’d like to play nice. Nice and loose with her foot up the jerk’s backside. Turning, she came face to face with the jerk in question and sighed. It wasn’t that the man wasn’t attractive. The way his blonde hair waved boyishly over his forehead was positively touchable, and she’d always been a sucker for a man with a small, neat beard. It was his self-absorbed ‘you know you want it’ attitude that had her steamed. Not to mention the feeling that he’d be about as faithful as a damned alley cat. “Why are you still here?” she asked, trying to keep her tone pleasant and non-confrontational.

“Because basking in your radiance is the highlight of my day,” he answered in a serious tone.

Opening her mouth to snap out a response, she paused as the even more unsettling god of Mischief and Lies strolled into the room wearing a smug expression. “Fandral,” Loki said. “I believe Hogun and Stark are looking for you. Perhaps it is something to do with your input on the armor you all were testing.”

“Oh, very well.” Fandral sighed theatrically, took her hand and bowed over it, his lips grazing her knuckles. “Alas, my lovely lady. Duty calls. I shall return.”

Maria waited until the Asgardian was well down the hall before she muttered, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Loki laughed, obviously enjoying her discomfiture. “We shall attempt to keep him otherwise occupied until we return to Stark’s tower,” he told her with a smirk. “Though it would be far easier if you took care of the issue yourself.”

“And how am I supposed to do that? I’ve discouraged him in every way I can imagine, short of locking him up or shooting him.”

The smirk still lingered. “And that is the problem. Turn the tables on him, Agent Hill. Pursue him, and he will lose interest.”

“I think that’s every bit as much of a lie as you told Fandral.”

“Ah, no I did not lie to Fandral; at least not truly. Hogun and Stark are looking for him, but their purpose is to keep him from continuing to make a nuisance of himself. Director Fury is concerned that he is distracting you from your duties.”

“Huh. So you think if I chase him, he’ll run?”

“He always has before; except of course, when his heart was involved.” Loki shrug was nonchalant. “That is only rarely the case. I haven’t seen him truly in love for over five centuries. For him to be so now, and with a mere human, is inconceivable.”   

“You’re sniffing around a mere human. Is he so different from you?”

Loki’s rather condescending smile had a sharp edge to it. “Dr. Gunnarssen is a very powerful and exceptional human; an advance on the species as a whole. It’s not the same thing at all.”

“She’s the product of a lab, like Captain America. Her abilities were created by human science.”

“Hmm, I understood her firestarter ability was inborn.”

“Well, yes. But that’s a mutation, not an advance.”

“Is it not? Tell me, Agent Hill. Have you not studied evolution? Are you a creationist? No? Then you should realize that nature uses so-called mutations to determine which way is the best for a species to advance. The successful mutations breed and produce more of the same, until that mutation becomes the norm for the species. So, Dr. Gunnarssen may have a mutation, but she is also a test of an advance to your species and as far above you as you are to one of your pets.”

Maria watched him stalk off with her mouth hanging open.

… …

“Fandral! There you are, we’ve been looking all over for you,” Tony Stark called out.

Fandral sighed. Loki had been honest, again. Hogun and the human had been searching for him. He should not have doubted. “Yes, I am here. What did you wish to discuss on the armor?”

Stark blinked. “Uh, oh, right. Well, we got tired of waiting to find you, so we just made a decision without you. It’s all taken care of.”

“Good, then I shall take my leave…”

“Whoa, uh, no. Come on, Valentino, it’s lunch time and we’re going to have to insist on your company. The cafeteria is…” Stark hesitated as he turned around, examining the walls. “This way,” he finally concluded.

Loki and Doctors Gunnarssen and Banner were already seated and eating when they arrived. After turning in their orders Stark was handed a stiff card bearing a number, and they joined the others at their table. Banner and Loki were eating steadily, though neither much looked as though they were enjoying their meal. The woman was doing little more than pushing her food about her plate. “My lady,” he began politely. “What troubles you?”

Stark grabbed the seat across from where she sat flanked by her two companions. “Yeah, what’s up, Sparky?” Fandral frowned as the woman shook her head, not lifting her gaze from her plate.

The other human sighed heavily. “The detailed analysis of the scans was completed. She’s getting worse, not better.”

“Shit. What about his scan?” Stark said, nodding in Loki’s direction.

“Despite the far greater exposure, his system isn’t nearly as damaged as Kara’s. There’s an awful lot of new nerve tissue growth though, it shows a different density than old tissue, so he’s apparently healing rapidly from what was originally far more damage than Kara’s original scan showed.”

“Jesus.” Stark pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “So, now what?”

“I really don’t know,” Banner replied. “S.H.I.E.L.D. is calling in neurology research specialists, but this kind of damage isn’t on file in any of the records we can access. I don’t see that they’re going to be able to do more than guess at treatments.”

Fandral started as Hogun nudged him. “Call Heimdall?” his old friend suggested.

“I suppose we could. Though the All-Father is not known for taking interest in such things…”

“The All-Father had best take interest in this,” Loki spat. “Ultimately, this is his fault.”

“Loki, calm down. It’s not his fault, it’s mine,” the lady healer said. “I agreed to it.”

“You had no idea what you were agreeing to. I’m certain they gave you little choice in the matter.”

“Uh, guys,” Stark interrupted. “Maybe we should wait until we get home to discuss this, okay?”

Loki frowned at him. “Fine.”

… …

Kara stared morosely out over the city. The second set of scans had confirmed it. Her healing ability had no effect on either of them. Bruce hadn’t said anything, but she knew as well as he did where this was heading. It could take weeks, maybe months or if she was very lucky, years, but eventually she was going to lose too much nerve tissue for her body to compensate. It would cripple her at first and then go downhill from there. On the bright side, she wouldn’t have to worry about missing Loki for long. She wouldn’t be around long enough to miss anyone. She tried not to sigh as she felt him step out on the balcony behind her. “I’m not hungry,” she said, assuming he’d come to try and coax her into the dining room for dinner.

“I know.” He stepped close and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. His breath warmed her cheek as he pressed his lips to it. “I asked them not to alert Asgard just yet. There will be a better chance of agreement if Thor asks his father to allow help for you as a personal boon to him. Odin rarely denies Thor anything.”

“Sure.” She wanted to tell him it didn’t matter, but he’d just argue the point and be annoyed with her. Once he was gone she could tell Thor not to bother. It would sure save Raj a lot of work.

“Don’t,” Loki said quietly, tightening his hold. “I forbid you to give up.” Kara smiled; wondering if mind-reading was among his talents. “You do not know what the future may hold for you, Kara. Please promise me you will make every possible effort to be there to meet it.”

“Why?”

“Because I am to blame for enough death on this world; if you give up on life because of me, you will add to that burden. It is already unacceptably heavy.” She felt him smile against her cheek. “And yes, once again, it is all about me. But seriously, if you love me as you say you do, you will allow Thor to seek help on your behalf.”

“Loki, don’t try and blackmail me with my feelings for you. All that will do is piss me off.”

He sighed and turned her around to face him. “I do not understand what good this love of yours is then. There seems to be little point to it.”

“Oh for…there’s not supposed to be a point to it. It just is. And it’s a good thing, mostly. If two people share the feeling, it’s a great thing. The best thing in the universe.”

“How would you know this? Have you loved and been loved before?” He sounded genuinely curious, and maybe a bit…was that jealousy?

“No, but my foster parents did. They loved each other more than anything.  Kara shrugged. “I was just grateful they were willing to share their lives with an abandoned teenager. I had no expectations that they’d love me, so I wasn’t disappointed.”

Loki leaned in to kiss her softly. “I wish I could give you that, my lady. But it’s not something I’m capable of just now.” He pulled her close again and she laid her head against his chest. “I do care about you. Your well-being is…important to me. I owe you so much, and there is little, if anything, I can do to show how much you-your love means to me.” The tears that had been threatening ever since they’d gotten the results of the second scan began to flow. Loki sighed again. “This is another mortal thing I do not understand. I tell a woman that I care for her…this is supposed to be a good thing, is it not? Yet, you cry.”

“It’s okay. I don’t always understand crying myself.”

… …

Pepper looked around the table. Dinner was somehow an even more strained affair than it had been the night before, despite Loki and the two Asgardians being on much better terms. Tony and Loki were getting along as well, which was really amazing. They had been trading snarky comments back and forth, but with good humor. She was really starting to wonder if she’d fallen down the rabbit hole. “I have not congratulated you on your impending motherhood,” Loki said to her, his expression totally serious.

“My…what?” She glared at Tony. What in heaven’s name had he told them?

Loki’s smirk finally gave him away. “Well, marrying someone so immature as Stark is akin to acquiring an overgrown child, don’t you think?”

“Hey, Snape,” the overgrown child interjected. “I’ll have you know I resemble that remark. But it’s part of my charm.”

“Snape, really? If you are going to compare me to a fictional mage, you could at least choose an attractive one. Cedric, perhaps.”

“More like Sirius Black,” Bruce said, than shrugged. “Hey, you were kind of deranged for a while.”

Kara, who had been sitting quietly, looking understandably depressed after the bad news on her scans, chuckled. They all turned to stare at her. “Do you realize that both of you compared Loki to self-sacrificing, heroic characters?” 

Pepper smiled as Tony and Bruce stared at each other. “Son of a bitch,” Tony muttered.

The boys headed off to the game room once dessert was finished. Hogun and Fandral were absolutely eager to show Loki how to play HALO 6. Something was definitely odd here. And Tony was actually laughing at one of Loki’s comments.  “Kara? What the heck happened today? Did we have a mass personality transplant; am I hallucinating, or what?”

“Well, I know Loki and Tony destroyed something together, they haven’t said what, and I don’t really want to know…plausible deniability and all that. It seems it was quite the bonding moment. Fandral and Hogun have apparently pulled their heads out of their butts. They even told a heroic Loki story from way back when.” She sighed. “Of course, it came with an observation that proves Loki was right about the crap he put up with all his life. I think that got them thinking and realizing he wasn’t just imagining it all.”

“Heroic, huh?”

“Yep. He did something daring that saved all of their lives, and instead of the big feast and honors that Thor would have gotten for the same thing, he was scolded for risking himself.”

Pepper stared at Kara, stunned. “Seriously?”

“I know. It’s no wonder he has a complex about Thor.” They stood and collected plates and carried them into the kitchen for the cleaning service to deal with. “I thought he was just being ungrateful before. But…now I really think he wasn’t even exaggerating by much. It makes me sick.”

… …

Tony grinned at the dismayed shouts from Fandral and Hogun as the team of Loki and Banner began to kick their asses. The teams were each playing the game on separate systems; the competition was based on the advancement of the respective teams. Loki had fumbled with the controls for the first fifteen minutes of play, and then found his groove. His fingers flew over the buttons and his grin as he got the hang of it was downright predatory. He’d taken the initial teasing in stride, returning jibe for jibe, and had even laughed as he and Banner lost ground to the others. But now, even Tony was impressed with his student. “Jeez, Freeze-Frame, how are you picking this up so fast? Not that I’m not proud; but even my admittedly brilliant instruction shouldn’t have gotten you this far.”

Loki shrugged, never taking his eyes from the screen. “I have an advantage. I’ve been studying your technology for quite some time. Others in Asgard never saw the need nor did they have the desire.”

“Hey guys, who’s winning?” Kara asked as she entered the game room, followed by the love of his life. Pepper was carrying a few wine bottles and Kara was balancing a tray full of glasses.

“Well, the Wonder-Twins took an early lead, but now that he’s got the hang of it, your boyfriend and Mr. Zen are totally kicking ass.”

“Only because I have that advantage,” Loki chimed in, not arguing the boyfriend point, interesting. Tony grinned at Kara’s blush.

“Well, glad you’re all having fun with it,” she managed. “Um, I pulled out my medieval recipe book to see if I could do something about all of the complaints about our drinks. I didn’t have any mead to work with, and the only place that I know of that makes really good stuff doesn’t ship to New York, so I went with mulled wine, the Nordic countries call it glögg, I think.”  

“Doesn’t that sound, uh, appetizing,” Tony managed.

“Don’t mock it until you’ve tried it, Stark. If it’s done right, it’s quite good and can be every bit as intoxicating as your Scotch,” Loki told him. “What did you put in it, my lady?” Tony shook his head. Holding a conversation, Loki was still paying close attention to the game. Fandral and Hogun weren’t trying to contribute to it, but they were still distracted enough to be losing even more ground. Loki was hell on wheels with multi-tasking.

“I started out with a tawny port, added sugar and spices, and knowing Tony’s tastes, spiked it with some brandy for an extra kick. Who wants?”

Hogun raised his hand and immediately lost his character to NPC return fire. “Bullocks,” he muttered.

“Go ahead and hit your pause button, guys,” Bruce told them. “We can pick this up again later.”

Tony grinned at their relieved expressions. Loki smirked. “Yes, it’s time for a break…you can look at our score and bask in our brilliance while you drown your sorrows.”

… …

“Loki, it’s just a game,” Kara scolded.

“It is, but a good competitor always plays to win.”

She smiled. “Just for that, you have to try this first,” she told him, handing him a glass. Pepper and she had already tried it and pronounced it yummy, but she wanted the opinion of someone who had probably drank the real thing way back when. Oh boy. Way back when and a half.

“What’s wrong?” Loki asked as he took the glass from her hand and supported her with his other arm as she wobbled.

“Uh…nothing. Just thinking. I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine; you look like you’ve grown faint. Come, sit down.” He led her over to the couch and sat, pulling her down beside him.

“Really. I’m fine. Are you going to try it, or not?” she grumped, frowning at him until he sighed.

“Very well.” Loki lifted the glass and sipped cautiously. “Hmm. Not bad. A little on the sweet side, but not overly so.” He looked over at Hogun and Fandral. “You’ll like it. It doesn’t have quite the strength of our mead, but it is certainly well drinkable.”

“Well drinkable?” she asked, feeling a bit miffed.

“Hush, sweet lady. That is a compliment. This is much better than most of the drink we’ve been offered here.”

“Oh, okay.” She watched as Pepper finished handing out full glasses. Tony took one sip and made a face, then shrugged and took a deeper swallow.

After taking their own cautious tastes, Hogun and Fandral made approving noises and almost drained their glasses. “This is excellent,” Fandral enthused. “Might there be more?”

Pepper headed over to him with the second of the three bottles they’d brought out with them. “There is, and we’ve a few more bottles ready in the kitchen when these are gone.” She looked over her shoulder and grinned. “Kara, I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about cutting the recipe down.”

Kara smiled. “I guess not. We’ll have to try out some of the food recipes tomorrow.”

“I have meetings most of the day, but if you order in the ingredients, we could try something in the late afternoon.”

“That works.” She frowned as Loki chuckled softly in her ear. “What?”

“Why this sudden urge to try medieval recipes?”

She shrugged. “It was a hobby a few years back. I went looking for the books after listening to Fandral going on about mead and such. As I recall, some of the food was exceptionally good, so I thought it might be fun to make some of it again.”

“Hmm. I suppose you’ll want me to taste it?”

“I suppose I’ll _allow_ you to taste it if you don’t piss me off between now and then.”

Kara grinned as Tony cracked up from behind them. “Snowman, haven’t you learned not to provoke the redheads yet?”

“Why shouldn’t I? It’s so much fun watching their reactions.”

“Sure it is, until you end up being couch man.”

Loki gave the couch they were sitting on a puzzled look. “I don’t see…”

She snickered and whispered as softly as she could, “Means you sleep on the couch instead of with me.”

… …

“Ah. Hmm. But, wouldn’t that mean you deprive yourself as well?”

“Yes. I don’t know about Norse gods, but mortal men kind of suffer more than we mortal women do when they’re ‘deprived’.”

Loki frowned and stared at her amused expression. “Would you truly deny me?” he whispered.

Kara laid her head back on his shoulder. “Did I even threaten it? No, that was Tony’s contribution. I’m sure it’s because he’s been couch man before…often.” She grinned as Pepper laughed from behind them.  “See?”

“I do see. Well, it’s a good thing I do have more reliable sources of information than Stark.”

“Hey, I’m a _great_ source of information about women,” Stark insisted. “I know exactly what to do to piss them off, first time, every time.”

“Oh, lovely. I’ll surely consult with you when I want to know what not to do.” He had to grin when Stark laughed and bowed theatrically before wandering off toward the lounge area. “Kara, we’ve had a long day. Shall we retire?”

“Absolutely.”

… …

“Kara, I haven’t forgotten that you have not given me your promise,” Loki told her as he closed their door behind him.

Kara sighed. No, his forgetting would have been too convenient. “Of course not.”

He stepped around her, sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled her close. “Sweet girl, do you understand why I’m simply waiting to be brought before the tribunal?”

“No, but what does that have to do with this?”

“Everything. I am tired. No matter what I do or how I do it, it will never be right, it will never be enough. So, I come here, and what happens? I find what I’ve never had: love and acceptance…from you. That is all that is keeping me sane. I cannot go back; I cannot face this without knowing that you will be well and that you will have the chance to be happy.”

Tears welled up, she couldn’t help it. She leaned in, wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. “I’m sorry,” she managed. “Okay, I promise.”

His chuckle surprised her and she pulled back to look at him, dashing a hand across her eyes so that she could actually see. “What exactly do you promise?” he asked with smile. That smile widened when she flushed. “Kara, you cannot trick the trickster. Now, swear to me that you will allow Thor to petition Odin for help to heal you, and that you will not withdraw that permission when I am gone.” He paused and frowned. “Also, on the off chance that the All-Father sees fit to deny his son this boon, swear that you will pursue any and all possible alternatives here to become healthy again.”

She sighed. “Fine. I promise all of that.”

“Thank you. Now, promise me one more thing.”

“What?”

“Promise me that you will try your best to find happiness and that you will allow your friends to help you.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“You can promise to _try_.” He cupped her cheeks in his hand and stared into her eyes. “Please. I don’t say please often, you know.”

She smiled as he had no doubt intended. “Never thought you did. Okay, fine. I will try.” Shrugging, Kara admitted, “I already promised Raj I would let him help me.”

Loki frowned. “Raj is not your friend, his loyalties are to S.H.I.E.L.D., never forget that. These people here, these Avengers, they are your friends. Trust only them.”

“I trust you.”

“And that, my dearest lady is likely a mistake,” he said bitterly.

“You’re wrong.”

Loki shook his head and leaned forward a bit to touch his forehead to hers. “I’ll not dissuade you, hmm?” The corner of his mouth twitched at she shook her head in return. “Have I angered you?”

“What? No.” Kara decided he needed to be teased. “Are we getting in bed anytime soon, or are we talking all night.”

The teasing worked. His smile was genuine and he took her chin in one lean hand and kissed her lips softly before responding. “We are getting in bed as soon as we get these garments off.”

She sniffed. “About time.”


	21. Chapter 21

“Loki, I-I don’t know if I’m up for this tonight,” Kara mumbled as he nibbled on her long, lovely neck. He looked up, surprised. “I feel kind of weird.”

Weird? He thought about the word for a moment until it translated properly, but was still confused. “Weird in which way? That word has many meanings.”

“Strange, odd, I don’t know.”

“All right, why odd?”

“I guess because I’ve never been dying of anything before. God, Loki, I don’t know.”

“You are not…” he trailed off at her glare. Technically, if left to the mortals and their science, she was dying. But he was certain she could be healed by someone in Asgard. Having just won the argument for her agreement to seek help there, he was in no mood to open up the discussion again. He grinned. “Then you need something to take your mind off of it.” Her sigh made him chuckle. “Yes, I’m quite certain that’s what you need,” he told her.  

“Hmm, and you think having sex will do the job, of course,” she said dryly.

“I detest it when you use that phrase, it sounds cold and heartless and you are neither.”

His Kara frowned at him. “Well, what should I call it? I can’t call it making love because you don’t love me. There’s no such thing as ‘making caring’, so I’m kind of stuck for a term here.”

She had a point; she was wrong, but she did have a very valid point. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her downturned lips. “You love me, and I am giving you what loving I can, so I would be pleased if you called it making love,” he told her. His jaw dropped slightly as tears sprang into her eyes. “Oh by the nine, I’ve managed it again. Kara, please don’t cry.”

Sniffing, she shook her head and touched his face as she managed a small smile. “I’m sorry. But you were sweet again, and it really gets to me.” His expression must have shown his confusion because she chuckled softly. “Oh, Loki; tears aren’t always sad. Sometimes we cry because someone has done something that touches us deeply.”

He sighed. A mortal’s tears were something he was not going to understand any time soon, he decided. “Let me make love to you, my lady.”

“No.”

“What?” Loki frowned until she grinned mischievously.

“I’ll let you make love _with_ me,” she told him. “There is a difference, you know.”

Loki was certain this was the time for some harmless mischief. “So there is. But I think, perhaps, you should make love to me.”

Kara chuckled. “Oh, really?” He managed to keep a serious expression as she smiled up at him. “Hmm, well, you’re going to have to tell me what that entails. You know how little experience I have.”

Loki slid down so that he lay on his back. “You will have to ensure we’re both aroused, and then you will have your way with me.” His mouth twitched as she looked him up and down and her eyebrows rose.

“You are already aroused. So…oh. Hmm.” His grin emerged fully as she blushed. “You want to watch me touch myself, huh?”

“My lady is a veritable prodigy,” he purred. “Start with your lovely breasts,” he directed. He smiled as she sat up and tentatively cupped both full breasts in her hands and stroked herself gently. “No, you’re trying to arouse, not lull yourself to sleep. Harder, and don’t forget your nipples. I want you to pinch them and tug on them.” He smiled as she tried to comply. “Still not hard enough, have you forgotten what you like so soon?” Loki’s eyes narrowed as she began to pinch and pull on her nipples far more roughly. His smile widened when she surprised herself with a moan. “Much better. Does that not feel good, love?”

“Yes,” she agreed breathily. Kara was squeezing the soft globes as forcefully as he would have done, and switching off to pinch and roll her nipples between her fingers. He could see her abdominal muscles tensing as the sensations rippled through her body. Her head arched back slightly and her moans were music to his ears.

“Very good, you’re enjoying that.” Her only reply was a gasp as she pinched one of her nipples sharply. “Are you getting wet, my darling girl? Check for me.” He watched avidly as she spread her thighs and one hand left her breasts to dip between them, her delicate fingers disappearing between her folds.

“Yes,” she finally whispered.

“That’s my girl, show me; use your fingers to spread your quim open for me to see.” He moved to his side and propped himself up on one arm to watch. Her soft inner lips were already glistening, she responded so well to even self-titillation. His own breathing was quickening, he could tell already that it was going to take every ounce of his self-control to not interrupt this play and simply take her. “Rub your clit, now.”

Her moan was deep and throaty as she firmly rubbed her clit, and without needing to be told, she squeezed and released it several times in rapid succession. “God, Loki…that’s…”

He chuckled as moisture pooled at the entrance to her canal. “Now, leave off of your breasts, love. Keep rubbing your clit and take a finger and slide it inside of you. Get it good and wet in your juices.” She whimpered as she complied then began to move her finger in and out. “No, stop. Let me taste,” he ordered. Her eyes flew open. “Feed your sweet juice to me.”

… …

Kara stared at him. His expression was expectant and very serious. Shuddering, she removed the finger from her canal and held it up to his lips. He took the dripping digit into his hot mouth and moaned. “Delicious,” he told her. “Wet it inside you again.” He waited, watching closely as she returned the finger to her now dripping sex, inserted it, and slowly pulled it back out. “Now, you taste it,” he ordered.

Her eyes widened. “What? No, Loki…”

“Taste it, Kara. It is part of the experience; you will know what pleasure you give me.” She gave him a doubtful look, but did as he asked. The fluid was a bit salty, with a hint of sweetness. Not bad, just…odd. Very different from the semen he’d insisted she taste last night. “Well?” he asked.

“I-well, it’s okay, I guess.”

“Kara that is the taste of desire; I taste that from you and it gives me more pleasure than you can imagine.” He frowned at her expression. “You enjoyed tasting me last night; I could see it in your face.”

“Well, yes, but that’s different.”

“No, love. It is exactly the same. It is the physical manifestation of the desire you feel for me and that I feel for you. It is glorious.” She thought about it for a minute then smiled. “Do you understand, Kara?” he asked. In answer, she dipped her finger inside herself again then made a point of licking it off as slowly and teasingly as she could manage. His groan told her that she’d succeeded.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I think I do.”

Loki stared at her hungrily. “That is quite enough of that, I think. Come now, love. It’s time for you to ride.”

“Is it?”

“Yes, and there’s a fine line between being enticing and being a tease…you’re perilously close to it,” he growled.

She laughed. “I’m just following instructions, blame the teacher.” Kara continued to grin at his petulant glare, but moved to straddle his lean hips. “Hmm. This is going to be interesting,” she muttered as she looked down at him, trying to figure out the mechanics of being on top. “Okay, I think I’ve got this,” she told him, shifting to move the soles of her feet flat on the mattress so that she could move into a semi-squatting position.  Taking his erection in one hand, she used the other to balance on his hard abdomen as she guided it to her wet center. They both groaned as she slowly sheathed him within her heat.

“That…that’s…perfect,” he managed. “Your teacher is to be commended.”

“You are so full of yourself,” she told him as she pushed herself back up until the head of his cock was barely within her. “Good thing you’re so damn beautiful.” Letting herself slide back down his hard length, she bit her lip to hold in a moan. Loki didn’t bother to try and hide his and moved his hands to her hips as he lifted his to meet her descent. “That’s cheating,” she scolded breathlessly.

“Not at all,” he muttered and groaned as she began to pull herself back up as slowly as she could manage. “By the nine, woman, are you trying to kill me?”

Kara lowered herself again, ever so slowly, and smirked at his almost agonized expression. She fully understood his frustration. Feeling him fill her so damn slowly was torturous. But damn, was it good. “This was your idea, you know,” she informed him as she pulled up again, still as slow as she could manage. This time she couldn’t hold back her whimper of pleasure.

“Damnation!”

“If you don’t like it,” she said with a wicked grin, “do it yourself.”

… …

“You are an impossible woman,” he told her with a groan as she pushed herself down on him far too slowly yet again. He’d never admit it, but her slow movements were giving him the most intense pleasure he’d ever felt. Unfortunately, they were shredding his self control. He couldn’t hold on too much longer. 

Kara was shaking this time as she pulled back up. Her lips were compressed tightly in an effort to hold back the most delicious whimpers. “You…thrive…on impossible,” she managed before beginning to lower herself again. He groaned as she fully seated herself yet again and bit back an oath as she twisted her hips from side to side. Shuddering, he watched her pull herself back up. “Loki,” she whimpered. “I-please…”

Loki gasped, took a firmer hold on her hips and pulled her down sharply. She shrieked and then giggled. “Thank the gods,” he told her. “I thought you’d never ask.” He slid his hands up her body, tugging her down to lay against his chest. Once he had a firm hold on her, he turned them over, balancing on his knees so his greater than human weight wouldn’t crush her. In one smooth move he pressed her thighs back and began to thrust urgently.

“Hey, that wasn’t asking,” she insisted between moans.

“Close enough,” he told her and leaned forward to silence her with a swift kiss. She panted beneath him as he continued to thrust hard into her wetness. The friction was becoming almost unbearable. Kara’s back was beginning to arch as she shuddered with the pleasure they shared.

His hands moved from her hips to her bouncing breasts, capturing them, and he pressed his thumbs down hard into her nipples garnering a sobbing scream. “God, yes, Loki, more…please.”

He laughed and pinched the nipples, earning another shriek before squeezing the soft globes roughly. Abandoning one, he moved that hand down to her sex and rubbed her swollen clit as he captured the forsaken nipple between his lips and sucked hard. Her sex clenched around him and shuddering spasms shook her body as she began to keen with her orgasm. “Yes, love, come hard for me,” he hissed as he pounded harder until he achieved his own release. Kara huffed out a pained breath as he collapsed on her for a moment before he managed to roll to the side. “Sorry, love. Lost my balance; are you all right?” He asked as he carefully examined her ribs.

“Fine,” she managed. “Why so heavy?”

Loki groaned. “You are going scientist on me again,” he complained.

Kara smiled and stroked his cheek. “No, I’m _going_ almost squished girlfriend on you.”

His eyebrow rose. It hadn’t bothered him when Stark referred to him as Kara’s boyfriend; he’d understood the reference and supposed it was appropriate, so he wasn’t certain why Kara claiming to be his girlfriend struck him as so very wrong. He sighed. “Our bone and muscle density is about thrice that of humans,” he explained.

“What’s wrong?” Of course she noticed.

He tugged her close against his chest and rubbed her lower back soothingly as she settled in. “Nothing, sweet lady. I am simply over thinking, I suppose. It’s time to sleep.”

“Hmm.” Kara’s fingers idly stroked his shoulder. He could feel her lashes brush against his skin as she blinked. “I’m not so sure I can. I guess I’m thinking too much, too.”

Damnation. If she continued to think, she would start to focus on the injury to her nervous system. Loki carefully gathered his magic and molded it to his will. He turned and laid her down on her back, one arm beneath her, still holding her close. First kissing her softly, he rested his fingers on her eyebrows then drew them down to close her lids as he ordered “Sleep, sweet Kara.” The magic took hold immediately and her body relaxed in slumber. His fingers continued their path down to her pouty lips. “Sweet dreams, my precious love.”

… …

Heimdall frowned as he felt controlling magic being gathered on Midgard. Focusing in on the source, he saw Loki, in bed with the female who had threatened the All-Father on Loki’s behalf. The Gatekeeper relaxed. It seemed the woman was having trouble sleeping. He frowned again as he heard Loki call the woman his ‘precious love’ _after_ she’d succumbed to the spell. Continuing to watch, Heimdall was shocked as Loki soothingly stroked the sleeping woman’s hair…she could not have felt it, so the activity was of no benefit to her or to any plan Loki may have had to use her.

The dark prince sighed deeply. “Thor must beg Odin to heal you, Kara, or I will…” he trailed off with a pained sigh. “If I have to beg Thor to do so I will,” he finished softly as he tucked the woman’s head under his chin.

Heimdall stood, stunned into total immobility as a tear tracked down Loki’s cheek. Odin must be told.

… …

“Well,” Pepper said as she joined Tony in their oversized bed. “Dinner went a lot better tonight.”

He snorted. “Yeah, you could say that. No one ended up on the floor whining.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she smiled. “Hogun and Fandral were doing a good job of whining over having their butts whipped in the game.”

“True, but that was after dinner.”

“Hmm. Tony, what’s up with you and Loki? You two seem to be getting almost chummy.”

Tony’s face settled into uncharacteristically serious lines. “I wish I knew. No, scratch that…I guess I do know, it just kills me to admit it.” He put down the glass of scotch he’d been nursing - there’d been only two all evening, much to her surprise. “When he’s being reasonable, he’s actually kind of, well, fun.”

“Fun?” Her voice was incredulous. “The man who destroyed nearly six square blocks of New York City is _fun_?”

“Yeah, I know. There’s something really wrong about all of that…not the fun part, the destroying the city part. Well, the ‘why the hell did he destroy the city’ part. I dunno, Pep. There’s something else going on, I just can’t figure it out. And it’s not just me; I talked to Big, Bad and Green about it. He doesn’t think this Loki is an act either.”

“He’s the Norse god of Lies, Tony.”

“I know, I know. But even Thor thought the whole invasion thing was totally out of character for Loki, and he’s known him for over a thousand years. Something strange was going on with that and the closemouthed bastard isn’t fessing up.”

“I had been thinking his polite and charming act was just that…an act. Do-do you think he’s really like that?” she asked.

Tony shrugged. “Yeah, Thor does that courtly thing, too. Seriously, he’s probably dangerous as all hell, but so is Thor if you cross him. What really is getting to me is that Kara trusts him. Based on who she does and doesn’t trust in S.H.I.E.L.D., I kind of have to go with that.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Tony, Kara is in love. That screws up any woman’s ability to judge a man’s character.”

“She trusted him before she fell in love with him. Besides, Raj Nassar trusted him too. After the first two sessions he started shutting the door. There’s no way Hogun or Fandral could have gotten in there before Loki killed him if that’s what he wanted to do.” 

“Dr. Nassar isn’t Kara, he doesn’t…”

“He’s an empath too, Pep. Nowhere near as strong as Kara, and he can’t project it at all, but he can feel what people are feeling. I don’t think Loki could fool him either.”

Pepper slid down from her seat against the headboard. “What are we going to do about it?” she asked.

Tony grinned. “We wait, we watch, and if we can, we help. You on board with that?”

She shrugged. “I took a chance on a drunken reprobate, didn’t I?”

“Ohh, low blow, but I deserve that.” He slid down and ran a calloused hand over her shoulder and toyed with the ribbons that held her camisole pajama top closed. “I think you’re overdressed,” he murmured roguishly.

“Well, I’m sure an engineering genius can figure out how to rectify that problem.” She grinned as he tugged at the ties and the top dropped down to reveal her breasts.

“So perfect,” he muttered as he leaned in to flick one nipple with his tongue.

She smiled. “And here I thought you went for big-breasted women.”

“Nah, that’s only for the paparazzi. I think more than a mouthful is superfluous. Yours are just exactly right.”

“When did you become such a sweet-talking romantic?” she wondered.

He stilled and looked up at her with a haunted expression. “When I was taking that nuke away from the city, I tried to call you. I…I wanted to tell you that I was sorry, that I was sorry I’d never get the chance to show you how much you meant to me, how much I loved you. I guess the connection didn’t go through, I waited too long.”

“Oh, Tony, you don’t have to…”

“Yeah, I do, let me finish.” He waited until she nodded. “I thought I was going to die, and I swore that if I got a second chance…though I guess this is actually my third chance, that I would be all the things to you that I should have been all along. I love you so damn much it scares the hell out of me. I know, you don’t think you’re all that hot or perfect or whatever. But you are perfect. You’re perfect for me.”

“Thank you, Tony,” she murmured, stroking his cheek with a trembling hand. “I love you too.”


	22. Chapter 22

Bruce smiled as he looked over the chess pieces still remaining on his board. He’d chosen his moves…his next four moves if Loki followed the campaign he expected, and had time to relax for a change. The past few days had fallen into a comfortable routine. He looked across the room to where Loki stood staring down at the board in front of Hogun, contemplating his next move there. Well, as much of a routine as you could have with aliens from Asgard living in the tower. Each morning when he came up for breakfast Bruce found Kara and Loki sitting at one end of the table, eating quietly, occasionally sharing a few words, looks or touches. Hogun and Fandral would show up when he’d finished cooking, it was as if they could smell that the food was ready. Or, wait, hmm. “Jarvis?” he asked the AI quietly. “Have either Fandral or Hogun asked you to inform them when I’ve finished cooking breakfast?”

“Yes, Dr. Banner,” Jarvis informed him, mimicking his soft confidential tone.

“Ah. Thank you.” Gotcha, he thought. They must have gotten over their distrust of the ‘hidden brain’ as they referred to the AI and decided to put it to use. It was about time. Tony usually strolled in next to grab coffee and a couple of pastries before heading to his workshop. Bruce never saw Pepper in the morning, just her dishes in the otherwise empty dishwasher. After breakfast Loki and Kara would either go to the gym where Loki supervised her work on strength training, or if Tony had a new upgrade ready, to the testing room to help with armor testing. Hogun and Fandral generally spent the rest of the morning in the gym or sparring in what they’d dubbed ‘the arena’, an area Tony was converting for all of the Avengers who needed practice time to exercise their various abilities. Lunch was ordered in, and Kara saw patients sent over from S.H.I.E.L.D. in the afternoon while Loki wandered between Tony’s workshop, his lab and his suite and ‘the boys’ as Kara referred to them, went back to their sparring. Dinner was cooked by Tony’s chef and then after dinner was game or movie time before they all headed off to their own suites.  

After trouncing ‘the boys’ at HALO the first night they’d all spent together, Loki had suggested they draw straws to determine who would choose the evening’s activity. Tony’s choice was to have a movie night. They’d settled on the two Ghostbusters films, forgetting until the first was well underway that both films included attacks on New York City. The humans in the group had all been shooting Loki concerned looks, wondering if he’d take it as a slight, but he’d simply sat in the oversized armchair, Kara tucked into his side, and laughed at the antics of Bill Murray and company in the climactic scene. Loki laughing in enjoyment was apparently rare. Hogun and Fandral had stared at him with their mouths hanging open until he’d noticed. His semi-annoyed comment of: ‘What? It was quite amusing,’ had made them all relax and enjoy the second movie and the ongoing joke about ‘But…but…is Viggo! Is Viggo dahling!’ without worrying about his reaction.

Pepper had chosen monopoly the third night, and had won handily. His own choice of several classic Disney movies had surprised everyone and had earned him a plethora of teasing comments from Tony, Pepper and Kara. Hogun had chosen action movies last night, and tonight it was Loki’s choice, and they were playing chess. Bruce looked back over at Hogun in time to see Loki reach for one of the pieces on Hogun’s board and move it.

“Check,” the standing god said. Hogun frowned and reached to move a piece, then hesitated as Loki spoke. “You do realize you’ll be back in check after my next move if you choose that one?” Loki commented.

“If you make no mistakes,” Hogun agreed. “Though Lady Pepper has conceded, you are still playing four games, you could get distracted.”

Bruce smiled, thinking that was highly unlikely as Loki chuckled. “Perhaps, though I much doubt I could get quite _that_ distracted. Think about that move some more,” he advised. Loki then moved on to Tony’s game. “Hmm. Interesting move, Stark. But the wrong one, I’m afraid.”

“Geez. Ice Man, are you ever going to stop calling me Stark?” Tony asked.

“Certainly, about the same time you stop calling me by ridiculous nicknames,” Loki told him as he leaned over to make his move. Tony was staring up with his mouth slightly open when his opponent smirked. “Checkmate in four,” Loki told him as he moved away.

He had to chuckle at his friend’s expression. “Son of a bitch, I fell for it,” Tony muttered as he examined his board and then looked up to meet Bruce’s eyes. “Damn, I would have loved to see him play Bobby Fischer.”

“We didn’t have much of an audience,” Loki said as he moved on to Kara’s board. “He was rather annoyed with tournament play and sliding into recluse mode by then.”

“What? Are you telling me you played him?” Tony’s eyes had grown huge.

“Yes. It was quite some time ago by your reckoning.” Loki paused, looking thoughtful. “Thirty of your years, I believe, in San Francisco.”

“Uh, Jarvis?” Tony began.

“Yes sir. Bobby Fischer often resided in the San Francisco Bay-area home of a Canadian Grandmaster during that period.”

“Huh. So, Loki; who won?”

Bruce bit back a chuckle as Loki straightened and gave Tony an incredulous look. “Seriously, Anthony? I did, of course. Though he did far better against me than Peter Biyiasas, the friend he was staying with.” Loki turned back to Kara’s board, stared down at it a moment and sighed. “You’ve gotten distracted, haven’t you?” he asked her in a chiding tone.

Kara frowned. “A bit.” She stared down at the board for a minute. “Oh. Crap.” Shaking her head she tipped over her queen. “I blew it with that last move, sorry.”

“It’s all right, love. But you mustn’t brood.”

“Pot, meet kettle,” she muttered as she stood, kissed his cheek, and headed into the kitchen. “Anyone want anything?” she asked.

Fandral looked up from where he was watching a movie with the sound turned down. “Have you more of your sugared bites of pork, my lady?” he said, referring to one of the medieval recipes they’d all agreed was a new snack staple.

“Yes, I’ll heat up another tray. Anyone want drinks while I’m up?” she asked.

“I’ll have a glass of the glögg if you don’t mind,” Bruce asked. He’d become fond of the spiced wine, though he kept his consumption low. The last thing he needed was a loss of control. The ‘other guy’ had stayed quiet unless purposely unleashed as of late, but there was no sense in tempting fate.

Pepper stood from where she’d been curled up on the loveseat beside Tony and watching his game ever since losing hers. “I’ll help with that,” she offered as hands went up around the room. She looked down as Tony turned his puppy dog expression on her. “And yes, I’ll get you a refill on your scotch,” she agreed. Tony had been taking it very easy on the alcohol since his engagement. Bruce was wondering how long that would last.

“Thanks, gorgeous,” Tony said, squeezing her hand as she moved away. “Crap, you’re right. I really can’t get out of this,” he continued, looking over at Loki. He tipped his queen to the side as well.

“You did rather well until that last move. You should have sacrificed your remaining knight.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not much on sacrificing members of my team.”

… …

Loki stopped on his way to Banner’s board. “What are you insinuating, Stark,” he asked quietly, doing his best not to get angry with the man.

“What? Nothing.” Stark stared into the glass Pepper had brought over to him. Loki nodded his thanks as the woman handed him a glass of the spiced wine. “Well, kind of trying to piece things together since you won’t open your damn mouth and talk about it. Why the hell did you send Legolas back into the depths of the Helicarrier? You had to know he’d run into someone.”

“I _knew_ nothing of the kind. He went where I needed him.” He stared down at Banner’s board. The scientist was an excellent player. His game was still flawless and Loki knew himself to be, without conceit, one of the best players currently residing on the planet. They played chess in Asgard; it was the one activity he’d enjoyed with his…with Thor’s father. The All Father was an excellent player, but did get emotional about it from time to time, causing his few losses. Banner was keeping his emotions out of the game. He had a great deal of practice with that in controlling his beast, Loki supposed. He reached down to make his move and then bit back a grin as he noted Banner’s consternation. He’d switched the style of his play mid-game and had undoubtedly ruined Banner’s planned next moves.

“So, you wanted him to be captured, maybe even reclaimed,” Stark continued. “Come on, Loki, admit it. You let him go.”

“We’re not discussing my failed plans, Anthony,” Loki grated, mindful of his assertion that he’d use Stark’s name so long as Stark used his, regardless of how annoyed he was with the too damned insightful genius. Kara was staring at him thoughtfully now, damn Stark’s lack of discretion. He smiled at the mortal’s wince knowing the man did not care to have his full given name used, preferring the ridiculous diminutive. He strode briskly over to Hogun’s board and glanced down at it. The grim warrior had made an unexpected move. “You’ve extended the game, Hogun. I’m impressed.” Picking up his own queen, he positioned it to counter the next move he expected his opponent to make.

Hogun nodded and looked up to take a plate of the ‘pumpes’ as Kara called them as she passed several out. “My thanks,” he said briefly, and then popped two of the spiced and sugared pork delicacies into his mouth.

“You’re welcome. And no, Fandral, I haven’t forgotten yours,” Kara said as she passed a plate over the back of the couch. Loki smirked as she deftly slapped Fandral’s other hand as he reached for a second plate. “No, you only get one plate this round. And don’t pout at me; you’re not nearly as good at it as you think.”

“You’ll grow as large as Volstagg if you continue to eat as you’ve been,” Loki teased. He smiled down as Kara held up a plate and he took one of the treats before she settled back down in the oversized armchair she’d been sharing with him during their evenings with the others. “Thank you, love,” he murmured quietly, caressing her cheek with his other hand. “I should be done with Hogun’s game shortly. Perhaps then we could move Dr. Banner’s game over to the alcove here and get comfortable while we play.”

“Is he going to last that much longer?” she asked, sounding surprised.

“If he makes no mistakes, yes.” He looked over his shoulder to where the scientist was frowning thoughtfully at his board and contemplating the chaos that Loki had brought to his carefully plotted game. “Banner is actually one of the best mortal players I’ve encountered outside of Fischer and his ilk.”

Stark snickered. “Ilk…who says ‘ilk’ anymore?”

“Those of us who actually employ a reasonably diverse vocabulary,” Loki countered. “And scientific terms do not count,” he added as Stark opened his mouth to retort. “They are far too specialized.”

“You’ve got me there, Frosty.”

… …

Kara smiled as Loki’s mouth curved up into an impish grin. “Of course I do, Tin Man,” he told Tony. She couldn’t hold back the giggle and pretended to choke on a meatball to hide it. “I heard that, love,” Loki whispered as he leaned down and brushed his lips along her jaw.

“Tin man? Hmm. Not bad. But you don’t really want to start a snark war with me, Mr. Freeze, you’d lose.”

“So sure of that, Rust Bucket?”

“Okay, guys, that’s enough,” Pepper interrupted. “There’s no way this can end well, so knock it off now.”

Tony sighed theatrically. “You never let me have any fun.”

“It’s only fun until someone pisses off the big guy,” Bruce told them. “So quiet down, Tony, I’m trying to concentrate here.”

Kara looked up at Loki, whose expression showed he was having difficulty resisting the impulse to comment. She took his hand and squeezed it until he looked down at her with an amused smile. “Maybe I should even the odds and disturb your concentration?” she offered.

“Ah, no. I’d rather not have them witness what it would take for you to distract me quite that much.”

“Spoilsport.”

Loki shrugged. “What’s mine is mine and I have never been much good at sharing.”

Her heart stuttered. Comments like that had been growing more frequent each day…possessive comments, comments that she would have normally attributed to a man in love. And he hadn’t called her a mortal in at least three days. His embraces and caresses had become public and less hesitant, yet he still refused to acknowledge anything more than caring. It was incredibly frustrating. Of course, if he did love her, she still wasn’t sure she wanted to know. It was going to be hard enough to let him go as things stood. “Why am I not surprised,” she managed with a smile when she realized he was frowning at her lack of response.

“Because you know me too well.”

… …

“Okay, that’s all of them,” Steve Rogers called out as he dropped down from the top of the ancient ruins in Machu Picchu. “If they even tried to cut that one out of there, the whole thing would crumble. Looks like the next good earthquake will take it out as it is.”

The Black Widow stared at the area surrounding the ruins. “And any remains once it crumbled would be next to impossible to collect in their entirety. Too many crevices and such. They’d never find all of the pieces to reconstruct it with,” she decided.

“The sensors are up and running. Headquarters reports they’re getting a clear signal on all of the locations now. We can wrap it up and head home,” Barton said as he poked his head out of the Quinjet. “Nat, you ready to fly us out of here?”

Steve paled. The flight in had been…an adventure. Clint hadn’t mentioned until after their very hairy landing that Nat had only been flying solo for a little over a month and had never landed in an area this tricky. Talk about trial by fire, geez. “Maybe you should fly us out, Hawk,” Nat said, sounding uncharacteristically nervous.

“No, you’ll never learn without doing. Tell you what, though. I’ll ride up front with you in case you run into problems,” Clint offered as Steve breathed a sigh of relief.

They picked up the rest of the gear and trooped up the ramp and took their seats. Steve opted for the seat next to the emergency chutes thinking he could pass them out if they were going down. Not that it would be necessary, but just in case. Right. He shook his head and stared down at the deck and reviewed their mission accomplishments as the jet powered up and began takeoff. He compressed his lips tightly as the entire bird lurched to one side let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding as it straightened and rose smoothly. “Thank you, God,” he whispered.

“There you go. Good job, Nat, couldn’t have done it better myself,” Barton said. “Let’s head home.”

Steve blanched. That was a good takeoff?

… …

Natasha nodded as she entered navigation instructions into the Quinjet’s system. Though she’d never admit it, Clint’s faith in her ability had helped immeasurably. He wasn’t the type to give false assurances. It was one of the many things she appreciated about him. Hawkeye could always be counted on to be a straight shooter…and not just with his weapons. “Are we staying on the carrier, or getting a ride out to Stark’s tower?”

“Fury is going to have a ride ready for us,” Barton replied. “Apparently he’s reluctantly approved Dr. G’s return to Stark’s and he wants us there for the duration in case she needs backup.”

“Backup with what?”

Barton gave her an annoyed look. “With Loki. Sounds like he’s fully recovered. There’s all kinds of crap he could get into if we don’t keep a lid on him.”

Rogers looked up from where he’d been staring intently at the deck of the craft. He’d been looking a bit green ever since their rough landing a few hours ago. “I honestly don’t think he’s going to be a problem,” their de-facto leader offered. “He seemed kind of resigned to being returned to Asgard when I talked to him.”

“That bastard has plans within plans, Cap,” Clint muttered as he fiddled with his quiver, changing out some of the specialty arrowheads for their more standard counterparts from the storage portion on the side. “He may be cooperating because he’s still in danger from the Chitauri, but that doesn’t mean we can trust him.”

“I didn’t say we trust him.” Rogers fell silent and he frowned thoughtfully. “There’s so much we don’t know, it just doesn’t all fit for me. But seriously, my gut tells me he’s not going to cause any problems there.”

Natasha nodded. Her instincts had been telling her the same thing. The only thing she was worried about was her belief that Kara was falling in love with their resident war criminal. That would be a big problem in the long run, regardless of Loki’s intentions to behave. Eventually, Thor would take him home, and then they’d have an emotionally shattered pyrokinetic empath to deal with. That was a serious concern. “If Clint’s right, we’ll be there if he causes a problem. If not, we’ve got some down time. I, for one, intend to enjoy it.”

… …

Hogun and Fandral were party poopers, that’s all there was to it. They’d bailed after Hogun had been checkmated. Tony sat on the loveseat with Pepper, pondering…things. Loki’s reaction to his questions about what had led up to them recovering Hawkeye had been telling. He hadn’t missed the man’s emphasis on the word ‘knew’. Now he was left believing Loki had planned or at least hoped someone would take Barton away from him. What other of the suspiciously lucky coincidences that led to their victory was actually part of his convoluted plan? Bastard was such a pain in the ass. If he’d just tell them; but no, that wouldn’t be Loki. He groaned as he realized that he was actually starting to understand the Norse god. That couldn’t be a good thing. “What’s wrong, Tony?” Pepper asked, lifting her head from his shoulder.

He looked into her concerned eyes. “Nothing, Pep. I was just thinking about some tweaks I wanted to make on the suit but forgot to do because I got distracted. It’s all good; I’ll take care of it tomorrow.” Great. Now he was lying to his fiancé of less than a week. But there was no way in hell he was going to worry her with any of this. She had enough on her plate with Stark Industries.

“Am I going to wake up in the middle of the night, alone in bed because you snuck back to your workshop?”

Smiling at her, he took her left hand and lifted it to press his lips to her palm. “No, I promise. I will not leave you alone in bed unless we have a bona fide emergency. Or if I have to use the bathroom.” 

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Check.”

Tony looked up in surprise. “Whoa, way to go, Bruce.” This was the first time any of them had put Loki in check all night. Of course, the god of Mischief and Lies had his girlfriend half on and half off his lap, and knowing how they had been acting in close quarters over the past few evenings, she was probably bringing one hell of a distraction to the game. Heh, another good reason for her to be called Hellbringer, though he seriously doubted anyone else would have made the connection.

“It’s a temporary setback, I assure you,” Loki said, sounding irritated. He leaned forward and moved a piece; Tony couldn’t see which one from his angle. “Kara, stop that,” he muttered to the woman in his lap.

Tony chuckled. “Woman problems, Lokes?”

“You wish you had a problem like this,” Loki snapped.

“Pepper, I think you’ve been insulted,” Tony told the love of his life.

“Or complimented for knowing when not to distract you, however much you would enjoy it,” she countered.

Loki looked back at them with a frown. “Definitely the latter, Pepper. I do enjoy the distraction, but…”

“You’re a sore loser,” Tony finished for him.

“I haven’t lost yet, Anthony.” Loki sighed. “Kara, please stop.”

“Fine. Wake me when the game’s over,” she groused. “I’m going to turn in.”

“Check,” Bruce said again.

… …

“Damnation. Ah…I see.” Loki frowned down at the board as he recognized Banner’s gambit. He examined the remaining pieces, he should have enough to counter it and still win decisively. The man’s play was impressive, he admitted to himself. Hogun had surprised him as well; their game had gone on a good half-dozen moves after his initial check. Thor’s old friend had taken his loss gracefully and had politely thanked Loki for the game before departing.

Banner looked up at him as he moved. “Yes, you do see.” His smile was self-depreciating. “I figured you would, but it was nice to surprise you for a change.”

“You did. I’m quite impressed. I cannot lay the blame for that on Kara; your level of play was well beyond what I’d anticipated.” He moved his queen.

“Thanks.” Banner moved his sole remaining knight in response, just as Loki had anticipated. The scientist frowned at Loki’s return move. “Damn. All I did was buy a little time.”

Loki shrugged. “Much of this game is all about buying a little time…time until your opponent makes a mistake. Now that I’m no longer distracted, I hope to make no more mistakes.”

“Honey, they’re ho-ome!” Stark called out as he returned from escorting his lady back to their suite.

“Anthony, what are you blathering about?”

“Jarvis just informed me that a S.H.I.E.L.D. craft is dropping off our missing teammates. It’s time to all gang up and figure out ways to make Captain Bashful blush.”

“ _Your_ teammates,” Loki muttered as he responded to Banner’s latest move.

“Yeah, yeah. Get technical on me, why don’t you?”

“I’m not being technical. I simply think Barton and Romanov would appreciate the distinction.”

“True. Huh, you don’t think it would bother Captain Perfect?”

Loki shrugged. “Rogers is idealistic, I believe he’d like to hope that I’m redeemable, no matter how laughable that may be.”   

Stark looked thoughtful. “You could be right.”

“You know I’m right, about this, at least.”

“That’s really annoying, particularly when I’m this sober.”

Chuckling, Loki told him, “It’s supposed to be.” He turned back to the board and moved. “Check and mate in two moves.”

Banner sighed as he tipped over his queen. “You may be a puny god, but you’re one hell of a chess player.”

… …

Steve frowned when Jarvis directed them to the game room. “I was really hoping to just get a shower and hit the hay.”

“Chin up, Cap. We just need to check in,” Hawkeye told him. “Once we make sure our prisoner is secure, we can get some well-earned rest.”

“Clint, he’s a guest, not a prisoner.”

“Tell that to Fury. Until headquarters says otherwise, I’m treating him as a prisoner.”

This was going to be a problem if it kept up, Steve decided. “Okay, listen up.” He waited until both of the assassins turned to stare at him. “You two need to make a decision. Are you Avengers or are you S.H.I.E.L.D. agents? After what we uncovered before the invasion and after the decision S.H.I.E.L.D.’s regents made to nuke New York and all of its innocent civilians while we were fighting there, I don’t think it’s possible for you to be both.”

Steve watched Clint’s face cloud up. Nat’s look was thoughtful. “We’ll have to think about that,” she told him.

“I figured. You’ve been loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. for a long time. I fully expect you to have to do some soul searching before you make a decision. But do us all a favor and give it top priority. We really need to know that we can count on both of you.”

The two exchanged looks. “We’ll do that, Cap,” Clint agreed as the elevator doors opened. They all turned and walked into the game room where Dr. Banner was standing and, of all things, shaking Loki’s hand. “What the fuck,” Clint muttered. From his expression, it looked like Loki heard him.

“You’ve missed game night,” their guest told them blandly.

Stark stood from where he’d been perched on the back of a chair. “You should have seen it. Loki played five games simultaneously and totally skunked everybody but Brucie-boy here.”

“Figures,” Clint muttered. Steve poked him in the back. “Get off my back, Cap. Dude is the Norse god of Lies; he’s probably great at poker, too.”

Loki frowned. “I’ve never played that game, though I’ve heard of it, of course. Perhaps that will be chosen as an activity for another night.”

Steve looked at Stark for an explanation. “We’ve been drawing straws to see who picks an after dinner activity. We’ve done video games, movies, board games and chess. Keeps us all out of trouble,” the billionaire said with a shrug.

“Speak for yourself, Anthony. We both know I’ll always be in trouble here,” Loki said. “I’ll bid you a good night.” He pointedly walked around them and entered the elevator, glaring at the floor until the doors closed.

“Crap, thanks a lot, Bow Flex. We had a really nice night going here. No arguments, no one getting pissy. Shit, I need a drink.”

“You always need a drink, Stark,” Clint spat.

“No. All damn fucking week I have not needed a drink. Ask Jarvis. My stash has not had to be refilled once. Then you come in with your fucking chip on your shoulder and flush all our hard work down the fucking toilet, Bird Brain!”

“Stark, take it easy,” Steve asked. “We don’t know what’s been going on here.”

“You’re damn right, you don’t. We found out the fucking containment field has done some possibly irreversible damage to Kara’s nervous system. She’s probably going to die if Odin can’t be convinced to help. On top of that, S.H.I.E.L.D. is ready to sell her down the fucking river because they think she’s too dangerous. The only one who’s been able to keep her from losing hope is Loki.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Clint said.

“No, Big Bird, I’m dead serious. Loki called Nick on this shit with the Council. Loki convinced her to promise that she’d allow Thor to petition Odin for help and to promise she wouldn’t give up on finding a cure. Loki found a problem with the fucking armor I designed for her that would have gotten her killed if he hadn’t pointed it out. Loki, the guy you just totally dissed is the guy who is saving the life of the woman who is pretty much single-handedly putting your head back together.”

Steve winced at Clint’s ragged laugh. “Pretty ironic considering he’s the one who pulled it apart.”

“Yeah, maybe so. But maybe this is the only way he can find to try and make it up to us…to you.”

Clint looked down at the floor. “Well, shit.”


	23. Chapter 23

Kara sat down on the edge of the bed after returning from the bathroom. Surprisingly, Loki was still asleep. If he didn’t awaken first, he usually woke the moment she moved out of his embrace. The irritation and the feeling that was almost depression that she’d gotten from him when he’d joined her last night must have kept him awake long after she’d fallen asleep. She sighed and settled back down; smiling as his arms automatically enfolded her.

They’d talked a good bit after he’d come to bed. Clint, Nat and Steve had returned and Clint had been giving him a hard time. She understood it, and in a rare bout of self-honesty, so did Loki. But that didn’t make it any less upsetting. He’d been doing so well, getting along with her friends and even his brother’s Asgardian companions. She was pretty sure that Tony was coming to grips with the fact that he actually liked Loki as a person and that something about his behavior surrounding the invasion stunk to high heaven. Kara knew for a fact that Tony was as frustrated by Loki’s refusal to confide in them as she was.

In the end, they’d made love, as they always did, but Loki had been needier, almost desperate in his efforts to please her, as if he thought Clint’s attitude could affect her feelings for him. She found herself sighing again as she rubbed her cheek against his collarbone. “What’s wrong, love?” he asked quietly.

“Nothing, just enjoying the moment.”

“Hmm. Perhaps we should both enjoy the moment…much more,” he purred as he turned, pulling her under him. Kara smiled as he nuzzled her neck while his fingers parted her folds, teasing her into readiness. She gasped as he nipped the tendon in her neck and then sucked on what he called her ‘sweet spot’. Moaning, she clutched his shoulders and arched her back until her breasts pressed against his braced body. “I so adore your responsiveness, sweet lady,” he murmured as two long fingers thrust deep within her, dragging a pleasured groan from her throat. His thumb continued to do amazing things to her clit as his fingers delved within her and she was quickly thrashing with her first release.

Yes, her first release. There were always several, it seemed. Kara laughed as he moved her thighs back so that he could enter her with his hard cock. His eyebrow rose, but he didn’t comment as he positioned himself and thrust in deep and hard. “God, Loki, I love that,” she muttered.

“As do I, sweet Kara.” He balanced on one elbow, using his free hand to ravage her breasts as he continued his leisurely deep thrusts. The contrast between the slow penetrations and withdrawal against the quick rough attention he gave to her nipples was swiftly driving her to a second orgasm. A sharp pinch to a nipple, timed perfectly with a nip to her neck and a particularly hard thrust sent her over the edge again. He chuckled at her soft scream and captured her lips in a deep, possessive kiss. As she settled, Kara realized the damn man was still hard as steel within her.

“How…damn. I hate that and I love it at the same time,” she complained.

“What?”

“That you’re still hard and I’m, well…”

“Well loved?”

“Humph. That’s one way of putting it.”

He laughed then urged her to her knees. “You love it far more than you hate it, Kara. Admit it, it’s all the more pleasure for you to enjoy.”

She yelped as he moved behind her, positioned himself and began to pound hard and fast into her sex. “God, yes…”

… …

The thunder died down as he landed on what he’d been told was the ‘launching area’ of Stark’s tower. Thor shook off the disorientation that accompanied this method of travel between the realms and strode towards the opening door. “Welcome, Prince Thor,” the voice of Jarvis, Stark’s hidden assistant said.

He frowned. It would take much to get used to this thing. “My thanks.” He continued inside then stopped to get his bearings. Ah, the kitchen was this way, and at this time of day likely held at least some of the tower’s permanent occupants. Entering the dining area of the large room he saw Hogun and Fandral finishing up plates of food. Dr. Banner was placing dirtied dishes into a low cabinet of some sort. Captain Rogers was standing by the counter, sipping a steaming beverage. “Good morrow,” Thor greeted the group.

“Oh, hey,” Banner said, straightening. “We were beginning to worry you’d forgotten about your buddies here,” he said, gesturing at his two friends. “They’ve been getting a bit restless.”

Thor grinned. “Never, good doctor. They have been in my thoughts, as has my brother. Tell me, how fares Loki?”

“You can ask him yourself in about a half hour, he and Kara usually show up by nine. But he’s doing well, seems to be fully recovered, in fact.”

“Has he caused problems for you?”

“Nah, he’s been on his best behavior.” Thor turned as Tony Stark entered the room. “Have you come for the party?” Stark continued.

“What party is this, man of iron?”

“My engagement party. Pepper has, probably foolishly, agreed to marry me, and we’re going to be celebrating that with a big party this weekend.”

“Ah, congratulations, my friend. I fear we will not be able to attend, however regretfully. I must return to Asgard with my brother and my friends, and quickly. Odin has commanded it.”

“You…oh. Crap.” Stark was rubbing his face with both hands, he looked distinctly unhappy.

“What is wrong?” he asked the man. “Do you not wish to be relieved of your charge?”

Stark dropped his hands, looking, for once, at a loss for words. “Ah, actually, he was, um, kind of fitting in here. Honestly, I guess I’m sorry to see him go.”

Thor stared at him in surprise…glad surprise, but surprise nonetheless. “This…this is unexpected, but I am well pleased to hear it.” He looked at the other two mortals. “And what of you, Dr. Banner, Captain Rogers. Will you be sorry to see my brother leave?”

Rogers shrugged. “I haven’t been here, Thor, so I don’t have an opinion either way.”

“I do. It’s been good for him, for the most part,” Banner offered. “I think it’s been good for us, too. He’s made a number of important contributions to our safety, and he’s been a…good companion, I guess you could say.”

Thor placed both hands on the table and closed his eyes briefly before looking at Hogun and Fandral. “And you, my friends. What have you to say about Loki?”

The two eyed each other. “We, too, have enjoyed his company,” Fandral finally said. “I do not know if he has changed overmuch, or if our understanding of him has changed. Regardless, this has been a good week.”

Hogun nodded. “It is both,” he said shortly.

“I’m glad to hear it. Unfortunately, we must return to Asgard.” He pulled a small chest from the armor bag he had slung across his back. “I have brought the tesseract, as you call it. I did not use it coming here, lest it attract our enemy’s attention, but we will use it to return. The Bifröst is not yet repaired sufficiently to transport us all. I need to rouse my brother, is he in the same rooms?” he asked the others.

“Yeah, same suite you left him in,” Rogers answered. “Right this way.” Thor followed the captain down the short hall to the stairs that led down one floor. They traveled down the corridor and stopped in front of the door to the suite where Loki had been taken after his misadventure. Rogers knocked, but they waited to no avail. He tried the door, but it would not open. “Jarvis, are they in there?”

“Yes, Captain Rogers.”

He knocked again and again they waited. “Maybe we should come back later,” Rogers finally said, sounding discomfited.

“Nay, it is urgent. Cannot Jarvis cause the door to open?”

“I suppose. Jarvis, please unlock the door.”

“Yes, captain.” The hidden voice sounded reluctant, but they heard a clicking sound in the vicinity of the door’s handle.

“Thank you, friend Jarvis,” Thor said, and grasped the door to push it open. He strode in, closely followed by Rogers who gasped as they stopped short facing the room’s bed. The reason for their knocks being ignored was clear. His brother was engaged in lovemaking with Dr. Gunnarssen, an activity which, by their mutual sounds of pleasure, they were both greatly enjoying. He couldn’t help but stare, delighted that his brother had found such acceptance.

“Oh my God,” Rogers muttered. Thor looked at him and as he started to say something else, clapped his hand over the mortal’s mouth and started moving them back out of the room. The figures on the bed paused and Loki looked back over his shoulder.

He sighed and shook his head. “Thor, you always did have the worst timing. Do you mind?”

Thor chuckled. “I am sorry, brother. I will withdraw, but I must ask you to, uh, finish and then say your good-byes. We must leave for Asgard and quickly.” He deposited the bag that had been slung across his back on the floor. “I have had your armor rebuilt and new garments fashioned for you. I’ll see you upstairs.”

“Fine. Now, get out.”

Thor couldn’t resist chuckling again as he dragged a now red-faced Captain Rogers out of the room and closed the door behind them. “Friend Jarvis, would you lock the door again?”

“Certainly, your highness,” the voice replied as the lock clicked.

He began to stride back towards the staircase, halting when he realized Rogers had not moved. “What is wrong, captain?” he asked.

“I-I, that…oh my God.”

“What? Does my brother having a relationship with the healer distress you?”

“I-ah, no. It’s just, I didn’t know it was…oh God. I feel so stupid.”

Thor stared at the red-faced man. “It is a natural function and a good thing so long as all of the participants are of age and have consented. Do you not believe Dr. Gunnarssen has consented?”

Rogers leaned back against the wall. He looked absolutely stunned. “Ah, I guess.”

“Then what is the problem? Certainly it is unfortunate we interrupted them, but such things happen.”

“Sweet God in heaven. Not to me they don’t.” Thor frowned as Rogers pushed himself away from the wall and hurried past him, shaking his head. “I have never been so embarrassed in my life,” he muttered.

… …

Loki sighed as Kara shuddered beneath him. He pulled away from her, his passion lost to his brother’s interruption. “I’m sorry, love,” he told her as he lay down and pulled her into his arms.

“It’s not your fault.” She wrapped her arms around him, stretching up to kiss his lips. “Loki…”

“Don’t. Please.” He looked down at her as lashes brushed his chin to see her blinking rapidly, her kaleidoscope eyes wet with yet to be shed tears. “Ah, Kara. I’m not worthy of your tears,” he said.

“Damn it, Loki. You don’t get to decide that. I decide who is worth crying over and who isn’t. And…and I know you don’t need me making this harder for you than it is.” She sat up and grabbed a tissue from the box that sat on her night table and wiped her eyes with it. “I’m sorry.”

“As am I.” He slid to the edge of the bed and sat beside her, pulling her back against his chest. “I am sorry for so many things, but most of all, I am sorry for causing you this pain, this sorrow.” He kissed her clenched jaw and ran his fingers through her mussed hair. “I am not sorry to have won your love. That is a gift I will never regret receiving.” He kissed her lips gently as she turned toward him and then rose to head into the bathing chamber. “I’d best clean up and dress. Thor would not pull me away from you so abruptly if he were not under some time constraint.”

“Okay.” Kara was still sitting on the side of the bed when he returned from the bathing chamber, refreshed as much as he could manage without taking the time for a bath. He opened the armor bag that Thor had left for him and pulled his armor, helm and clothing from it. He dressed and armored quickly. Kara stared up at him as he settled the dress helm on his head. “Wow,” she said softly. “That’s even more impressive in person than it was on the security tapes,” she said as she looked him up and down. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over how amazing and beautiful you are,” she whispered.

He took her hands and drew her to her feet. “Nor I you; sweet Kara.” He tilted his head town and claimed her lips, reveling in the feel of her arms around him for the last time, drinking it in so that he might always remember it. “No matter where I am, or how long I live, I shall never forget you,” he promised. Biting back a sigh as her eyes filled with tears again he pulled away. “I-I must go. Remember your promise and take good care of yourself,” he said sternly.

As Loki suspected, his order made her smile. “I will. And you remember that Thor is your brother, regardless of how you feel about Odin, okay?”

That much he could give her. He would have to if he wished Thor to ask his boon of the All-Father. “I will. My brother does not deserve my enmity over the deception. Farewell, my lady.” He turned to the door and extended his power to unlock and pull it open so that he would not have to pause. Walking away was difficult enough without a necessity to hesitate in any way. As the door closed behind him he took a shuddering breath and looked back at it. “Good-bye, my love,” he whispered before turning again and striding towards the stairs, using his power to put his helm and the heavier pieces of his armor away. “Jarvis, engage Hellbringer protocol one, one, two, eight, six, zero-G,” he told the system. “Authorization on my voice match.”

“Yes, your highness,” the system replied. “The Hellbringer protocol is engaged.”

“Thank you, Jarvis.” He smiled as he ran up the stairs enjoying using that last bit of mischief to ease the pain of parting.

… …

Thor looked up as his brother strode into the room and came to a halt, staring at the gathered Avengers. “Did you need to summon them all to witness my departure?” he asked snidely.

“I summoned no one, Loki. They simply came.”

Pepper stood closest to him. “We wanted to say good-bye. It wouldn’t be right to let you just go off without seeing you.”

Loki frowned, but took the woman’s outstretched hand and gallantly lifted it to his lips. “I don’t understand the gesture, but I see you meant no harm by it.”

“No, of course not. I just wanted to say I’ll miss you, and I’m hoping for the best for you.”

Thor hid a smile as Loki’s eyebrows rose in astonishment. “Why…thank you, my lady…Pepper. I shall miss you as well. Please accept my good wishes on your nuptials. I regret that I will not witness them.”

Pepper moved closer to his brother and kissed his cheek. Thor turned away, pretending not to see Loki’s shocked blush. Captain Rogers stepped forward next. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to get to know you,” the man said. “Um, I scribble some, and I drew this when I took a watch over you and Dr. G when you were still out of it. I, ah, based on your, um, relationship, I thought you might like to have it. It’s okay if you don’t…I just thought I’d offer…” he trailed off looking embarrassed as he handed a sheet of paper to Loki. Thor stepped forward to take a look. It was a skillfully rendered portrait of his unconscious brother with Dr. Gunnarssen sprawled where she had collapsed in exhaustion on his chest.

Loki stared at the artwork for several minutes. “You have great skill,” he finally said. “And I would treasure this, but I don’t believe the material would survive the trip to Asgard. Perhaps you should keep it,” he said, sounding regretful.

“Oh,” Pepper said. “I have something you can transport it in, if I get it, would you like to take it with you?”

“Yes, certainly,” Loki told her. He turned to Rogers. “In that case, I thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.”

“Captain?” Loki asked. “You, I know, are a man of your word. Might I have your word on something?”

“Well, you can ask.”

His brother smiled. “It is nothing dishonorable. I ask your word that you will look after Kara, see that she is protected, even from herself. She is…distraught just now, and I fear she will forget her promises to me that she will allow herself to be aided by her friends.”

“Oh, absolutely. You can count on it.”

“Good, thank you.” Loki took a few more steps then halted as the Hawkeye moved into his path. “Agent Barton,” he said quietly to the archer.

“It’s just Barton. Nat and I are going to resign from S.H.I.E.L.D. later today; the Avengers are going to be an independent team. I’m not here to bust your chops. I heard what you’ve been doing for Dr. G, and I thought I should tell you that it’s appreciated.”

“Good. You will all need to stand together now that…events have brought you there.” Loki paused and looked at the floor for a moment before meeting the shorter man’s eyes. “I understand that what I did caused you great anguish. If there had been some way to avoid it, all of it, I would have taken it.”

Barton grimaced. “I’m not going to say it’s okay, because it isn’t. But…if that’s an apology, I’ll accept it.”

“It is.”

“Okay.” Barton held out a hand. Thor could almost swear that his brother looked relieved as he took it and grasped it firmly in the mortal manner before moving on to Agent…Miss Romanov.

“Take care of yourself, Loki. I’m sure Kara already asked you to promise that, but I think you need the reminder,” she said in a clipped voice.

“Thank you. You have become her friend, have you not?” Loki asked.

She shrugged. “Yes. Pepper and I, we’re too different to be friends on our own, but throw Kara into the mix and it all works. We’ll take care of her, too.”

“Good. She will need her friends. Perhaps you could go to her? She was rather…” he trailed off with a sigh.

“As soon as Pepper gets back, we’ll both go.”

“Thank you.” Loki moved on to where Dr. Banner awaited him. Thor frowned, this should be interesting. “Dr. Banner. I am glad that I had the chance to spend time with you that did not entail the destruction of Stark’s floor.”

Banner laughed. “Yes, me too. Seriously, Loki. We’ll miss you. There won’t be anyone with a good comeback for Tony once you’re gone and we’ll be forced to deal with his snark first hand.”

“If all else fails, ignore him. That will trouble him more than any comeback,” Loki said with a grin. “You seem so much more comfortable with yourself, it is good to see.”

“And that is why I put up with Tony. That’s his doing, believe it or not.”

“Hmm, I can believe many things of him.” Loki turned to the billionaire. “So, Anthony, are you taking on sponsorship of the Avengers?”

He shrugged. “Someone has to. I don’t suppose you could manage to call me Tony? Anthony reminds me too much of stilted family dinners, the worst kind of hell when I was growing up.”

Loki chuckled. “Very well, Tony. I suppose I can indulge you in thanks for your generous hospitality.” His expression became somber. “Look after your honorary sister, Tony. I do not believe S.H.I.E.L.D. will release her without a struggle.”

“They give me any shit over her, and I’ll see them on the face of every newspaper and internet site on the planet. I’ve got the evidence and I’m sure as hell not above using it.”

“Good. I hope you will not need to do so. Oh, and do not be late for your wedding. If you leave Pepper at the altar, I’ll ask Thor to trounce you for your stupidity.”

Stark laughed outright. “He won’t need to. Pepper is fully capable of trouncing me all on her own.”

“Oh, Tony, what did you do now?” Pepper asked as she dashed back into the room, carrying a long black cylindrical object.

“Nothing, yet. I’m just being warned to behave myself for you.”

“Hah. That will be the day.” She turned to his brother. “Here, Loki. We’ll roll the drawing up and put it in this. It has a metal center and has an acid-free lining. It’s also waterproof, so that should keep it safe.” She pulled the top off of the canister as she spoke, and traded it to Loki for the drawing. After carefully rolling it, she slid it inside and replaced the lid. “There you go, it’s all set.”

“Thank you.”

… …

“Brother, are you ready? We must go,” Thor said quietly, as he pulled the device Eric Selvig had fashioned to make the cube into a method of transportation from its case.

“Yes.” Loki followed him out onto Stark’s launch area to where Hogun and Fandral awaited them.

“Armor up, my brother, there is trouble in Asgard, and we must be prepared,” Thor told him as he stopped well short of his friends to put his winged helm on his head.

Loki frowned as his dress helm and the heavier part of his armor shimmered into place on his body. “Trouble? Why would the Tribunal be trouble for anyone but me?” he asked.

Thor looked at him in surprise then groaned. “Ah, I’d forgotten. Walking in on you distracted me. I do not come to take you to the Tribunal. That is still on hold. Someone has brought an artifact into Asgard that can be used with the gauntlet, the casket, or this cube to make a gate. We have been unable to locate it, and our father believes that your magic might be able to track it down more precisely than his.”

“Your father,” Loki grated.

Sighing, Thor shook his head and spoke, quietly for him. “I am displeased with his long deception, Loki. But he did raise us, so he is as much our father as we are brothers. And if you deny that again, I shall be sorely put out with you.”

“I-I will not deny you, brother. I cannot. And I must presume on your love for me to ask you a favor…to beg it if I must.”

“Ask, my brother. If I can in all honor grant it, I will. You know that.”

He nodded. “Kara has suffered serious damage to her nervous system from the technology they used to try and contain me. She has been unable to heal it and the mortal scientists have no idea how it might be treated. I-I feel responsible, and wish you to ask a personal boon of Odin to have her healed in Asgard. She will die without it,” he finished.

Thor stared at him, plainly shocked. “Loki, that-I am sorry. Certainly I will ask father for this. Is this…how much…gods, I don’t know how to ask,” he grumbled, still keeping his voice uncharacteristically soft.

“She has several months before the damage will incapacitate her, but it does worsen every day. So far, it manifests only in blinding headaches, with some slight bleeding from her nose and ears. Eventually it will steal her ability to move, to reason, to do…anything before it kills her.”

“Damnation; that is horrifying. I will ask as soon as I can gain a private audience. It may be a few days; all of Asgard is in an uproar over the threat of attack.”

“I understand.”

“Do you, brother? If you can find this artifact and avert a battle…” he trailed off.

Loki smiled. “Yes, I did understand that. I hope that will be the case, but if they are using power from their artifact to hide themselves; even I might find it too impossible a task. But yet, I now have hope. Thank you, brother. I swear to you that I will do my utmost.”

Thor grinned at him and held out the handle of the device. “Hogun, Fandral, attend us. We leave now.” He lowered his voice and leaned in close. “I have faith in you Loki. Now you must have faith in yourself.”


	24. Chapter 24

Kara didn’t answer their knock. Natasha tried the door, it was unlocked. She hesitated before pushing it open, glancing at Pepper. The strawberry blonde nodded her agreement. They were not going to wait for an invitation. As the door swung open they could see Kara sitting in the middle of the floor wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt, her hair disheveled. The woman was staring at the small overfilled bookcase and the stack of books that sat beside it. “Please get the books out of here,” she told them in a hushed monotone.

Nat frowned at the lack of life in the seated woman’s voice. She crouched down beside her and took Kara’s chin in her hand and tried to look into her eyes; tried being the operative word. Kara seemed to be seeing absolutely nothing. This wasn’t good. “Pepper, go ask the guys to get the bookshelf and books out of here, now,” she said without looking away from Kara. “Look at me.” Nat did not like the feel of the energy Kara was exuding. She was no empath, but she had instincts and those instincts were screaming danger at her.

Pepper dashed out of the room without bothering to ask Jarvis to summon the men. Good. Kara focused slightly and spoke again, her voice still dull. “Go away, Natasha,” she said.

“No. I need you to talk to me. I know it hurts and I know I can’t possibly understand the pain you’re feeling, but you need to talk about it.” The woman’s eyes lost focus again. “Damn it, Kara, I’m talking to you, don’t shut me out.” The blank stare was fully back. “ _Krovavyĭ ad_ ” she muttered.  Pepper came back into the room followed by Steve, Clint and Bruce. “That was fast. Get that stuff out of here, stat.”

“Kara, honey, talk to us, please,” Pepper asked, dropping down on Kara’s other side. Kara’s expression didn’t change, but she did shake her head in response. “Don’t tell me no,” Pepper said in a scolding tone. “You make everyone else talk when they’re upset, you don’t get to give us the silent treatment.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she whispered.

“Sure there is. Tell us how mad you are…or how sad. Whatever you’re feeling, let it out,” Pepper said.

“Empty.”

Nat didn’t like the sound of that. She knew from personal experience that a feeling of emptiness left one, well, destructive. Clint stopped, holding a stack of books, and caught her eye. The quiet comment had unnerved him, too. ‘Call Raj Nassar?’ he mouthed. She shook her head. This was way beyond anything Dr. Nassar could handle. Besides which, with their pending resignations, they did not want any of this going in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s records. Especially if Kara lost control and really let loose.

“Honey, you’re going to be okay,” Pepper soothed as Natasha winced. There was no way in hell that Kara was going to be okay anytime soon.

Kara’s laugh was bitter. “How, Pepper? How am I going to be okay? I’ve lost the only man I’ve ever loved…not that he’s really a man…” she trailed off with a sob. But at least she was talking and emotion had entered her voice. That might pierce the emptiness and bring some reason back to her. “I’m so stupid,” she muttered. “Pitifully stupid.”

“You are not stupid,” Nat insisted.

“No? Really?” this time Kara’s laugh had an almost hysterical edge. “Nat, I fell in love with a god. And not just any god, oh no. I fell in love with one that tried to take over the planet and only failed because he planned to fail and fail spectacularly. One who thinks mortals are beneath him…one who could never truly let himself love me.” She fell silent again, tears running down her cheeks.

“Kara, he does love you, we could all see that,” Pepper insisted. “He wasn’t worried about what he’d face in Asgard, he was worried about you.”

“It doesn’t matter, Pepper,” Kara whispered. “What good does that do me?”

“When he gets things sorted out, I’m sure he’ll come back for you.” Nat had to fight not to roll her eyes at that statement. Pepper was trying, but that…

“How?” Kara snapped. “Fine, let’s say you’re right, he loves me. Odin is going to sentence him for his crimes and Loki refuses to defend himself, so that sentence will be harsh. Loki believes that he’ll either be exiled to Jötunheim, where he’s certain he’ll be killed by their people because of what he did there, or he’ll be locked in a dungeon in Asgard for hundreds of years. He’ll either be dead, or once he serves his sentence and is freed, I’ll have been dust for centuries.” Her voice cracked. “No matter what is decided, I’ll never see his smile again, I’ll never hear his voice again, feel his touch again. He’s gone, Pepper, and I can’t get him back no matter what.”

Oh, damn. Nat hadn’t thought about what kind of sentence Odin might think appropriate for the man he’d raised as his son. That…no wonder Kara was losing it. She swallowed. “You’re right,” she said, as Kara cried and Pepper sat there, stunned. “He is gone, and it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever get him back. I’m sorry.” Nat kept her own voice as even as possible. “You can curl up in a ball and die, breaking your promises not just to him, but to all of us, or you can learn to deal with it and go on. Your choice.” She grabbed Pepper’s arm and pulled her to her feet and pushed her towards the door. “If you decide to honor your word, let us know and we’ll be there for you, every step of the way.” She turned and strode briskly from the room, dragging an open-mouthed Pepper with her.

… …

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Pepper said as they reached the hall and the door closed behind them.

Tony stared at the two women as he came down the hall. “What’s happening?” he asked. He’d seen Cap, Hawkeye and Bruce carrying his books back to his suite as he’d returned from the conference call that had claimed his attention immediately after Loki’s departure. Natasha and Pepper both looked extremely worried. That expression wasn’t strange on his fiancé; but on the Black Widow? That was totally unnerving him.

“I think Kara is going to have a meltdown,” Natasha said. The heavy thump of containment panels sliding into place punctuated her statement. “Scratch that. Kara is having a meltdown, but at least she’s being careful about it.”

“Oh, that’s so not good,” he muttered. “Jarvis, what’s going on in there?” he asked the AI.

“Lady Kara has requested a complete lockdown,” Jarvis informed them.

Tony blinked. “Lady Kara?”

“You can’t let her do that, Stark,” Hawkeye said as he came up behind them. “That containment field is going to…”

“No, it’s not. We dismantled that part of the system,” Tony told him. “The only thing it’s got now is a physical containment; the ultimate in fireproofing, as it were. Jarvis, open the door.”

“Lady Kara has ordered she is not to be disturbed until further notice, Anthony.”

Anthony? Lady Kara? “Oh, shit.”

“What the heck?” Cap said as he returned.

“That son of a bitch; I’ll kill him.” Tony stared at the sealed door. “Jarvis, override Lady Kara’s orders and reverse the lockdown, my voice authorization.”

“Lady Kara’s orders cannot be overridden, Anthony. She has the final override on all systems.”

“Anthony?” Bruce asked. “Oh…oh crap.”

“Yeah. Looks like the god of mischief left me a final prank. Jarvis, can you stop calling me Anthony, that’s damn creepy.”

“Only if that part of the protocol is overridden, Anthony.”

“Great. Can, uh, Lady Kara override it?”

“Yes, Anthony.”

“Anybody else?”

“Yes, Anthony, Lady Pepper can also override that part of the protocol.”

“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Nat, I swear, if you laugh I’m going to suit up and toss you off of the nearest balcony,” he said as he noticed the Black Widow’s expression.

“Glad you realize you’d need to suit up to do it,” she said, still looking distinctly mirthful.

“Genius, remember? Pepper, could you do something about this?” he asked.

“Sure, Tony. Jarvis, from this moment forward, please address Anthony Edward Stark as either Mr. Stark or Sir as per your pre-protocol instructions.”

“Yes, Lady Pepper.”

“Thank you, Jarvis.” She smirked and he could hear Nat snort softly from behind him. He decided to ignore it, at least the damned assassin wasn’t laughing outright.

He sighed. “Jarvis, does Kara know about this protocol?”

“No sir, she has yet to read the email sent when the protocol was initiated.”

“Can Pepper override the lockdown?”

“No sir. Lady Kara’s authorization is final.”

“You can suit up and take out the door,” Rogers pointed out.

“I would advise against that, Captain Rogers,” Jarvis told them.

“How come?”

“The resulting backdraft would incinerate everyone in the hallway and compromise the tower’s structural integrity.”

“Back…oh, shit. Jarvis, get me a visual,” Tony snapped out.

“The camera apertures are covered by the lockdown walls, Mr. Stark.”

“Fine, get me an audio.” He took an involuntary step back as a piercing cry filled the hallway. “Oh, Christ.” An  ominous whooshing sound flowed as a backdrop to the haunting scream.

“ _Bozhe moy_ ,” Natasha muttered.

“Oh sweet Jesus,” Cap muttered, “poor Dr. G…what’s that other noise?”

“A raging fire,” Tony told all of the stunned faces that had turned to him, looking for an answer.

… …

Loki took a half step as the cube’s wormhole deposited them somewhat off-balance on the Bifröst and looked around. Repairs were well underway, but seemed to be abandoned. “Welcome home, sons of Odin, Fandral, Hogun,” Heimdall said. Loki turned to look at the gatekeeper. If Heimdall was still calling him an Odinson, there _was_ still hope.

“Thank you, Heimdall,” Thor said. “Have there been any changes?”

“No, my prince.” Heimdall looked past Thor to him. “Prince Loki, a word, if you would.”

His eyebrows rose. “Of course, Heimdall.”

“This healer, Kara Gunnarssen. Does she pose a threat to the All-Father?”

He suppressed a groan. “Absolutely not. She spoke out of anger and frustration; a mortal cannot pose a threat to our King.”

Loki tried not to flinch under the all-seeing gatekeeper’s heavy stare. “She is a mortal of great power, are you certain of this?”

He decided that a lightly edited version of the truth would serve him, and Kara, best. “I do not know the full extent of her abilities, to be honest. However, she is a woman of compassion, with a fine sense of justice. Were the All-Father to attack her or anyone under her protection I have no doubt she would do her best to return harm for harm. But if he makes no such attack, nor would she.”

“Loki speaks truly,” Hogun agreed.

“Indeed,” Fandral added. “The lady is strong and courageous, but she is not one to bring harm to another unnecessarily or thoughtlessly. She shows the greatest of restraint, even when provoked.” Loki bit back a smirk as Fandral shot Hogun a pointed look. Apparently Fandral realized that Hogun’s blatant shunning of him could have had a very different reaction from his lady.

“Very well,” Heimdall rumbled as he turned his attention back to infinity.

“Come, we must hurry to the Valhöll,” Thor said, urging them along to where Volstagg and Sif stood, each holding the reins of three horses. “I’m certain that father is awaiting us impatiently. Thor strode ahead of them, took the reins of two horses from Sif and turned back to him. “Mount up, my brother, let us ride.”

Based on the glare Sif gave him, it was probably best that Thor had collected his horse from her. Loki patted the beast carefully and surreptitiously checked the saddle. Out of all of them, Sif had the most right to hold a grudge against him. She had never forgiven him for the prank gone wrong that had cost her the golden hair that had been the envy of the Realm Eternal. His latest actions had no doubt brought her long buried resentment of him back to the surface. “Thank you, brother,” he said quietly and tried not to sigh at Thor’s glad smile.

… …

After being advised by Jarvis that the fire had extinguished itself but that they could not open the door without fear of reigniting it for at least an hour, Tony went back to his workshop to look at the programming schematics. He could see where the alterations had been done, but couldn’t find any way to get around it without disengaging the entire central processor and rebuilding it and reprogramming it from scratch. If he was lucky, Loki had given Kara authorization to revoke what Tony had found was called ‘the Hellbringer Protocol’. “Damn sneaky bastard,” he muttered, then laughed as he caught the admiration in his tone. “Guess I can’t blame him.”

“Sir, I would suggest that you check your email,” Jarvis told him. Thank God Pepper had been able to straighten that part out. If Jarvis had called him Anthony one more time he would have lost it. Tony pulled up the visual file of his email. If Loki had voice-enabled it, Jarvis would have automatically offered to give him an audio of the message.

He read through it quickly. The first part was a half-assed apology for, or more accurately an acknowledgement of the prank…though the only part about it that was an actual prank was the programming regarding his name…and the titles for all of them. If anyone else had queried Jarvis, they would have discovered themselves being accorded various more or less appropriate appellations. Cap, of course, would have been addressed formally as ‘Captain Rogers’, Hawkeye was now ‘Master Archer’, all of the women were ‘Lady’ and their first name, and Bruce…Tony plopped down in his chair chuckling. “Oh, damn. That’s a good one.”

“What’s good?” the man in question asked.

“Heh. Ask Jarvis a question, go ahead, I dare you.”

Bruce frowned at him and shrugged. “Okay. Jarvis, what time is it?”

“It is four minutes until noon, Master Disaster.”

Tony snickered then guffawed, trailing off to intermittent chuckles. “He got you good,” he finally managed to tell Banner.

Bruce sighed. “Well, I did call him a puny god, so I suppose I deserved it.”

 “Yeah. Christ, Bruce. Am I sick, or what? I’m going to miss that S.O.B.; you know?”

“No, not at all. I know exactly how you feel.” Bruce sighed again and sat down on the workbench. “Pepper just got off the phone with legal. It’s going to be another two days before they’ve got all of the paperwork in order. I talked to Nat and Clint. They’re pretty sure they can hold off Fury until then.”

“Good. Hopefully Kara will be functional and able to hold it together long enough for a meet by then. We’ll make them come here. I’m not putting any of us where S.H.I.E.L.D. has a chance of boxing us in. I don’t want to start out our new relationship with them by having to fight our way out of their territory.”

“Cap’s thought exactly. Legal also had some advice as to structure. You as C.F.O./C.O.O. with Rogers as C.E.O.; that would cover him heading up the team for all combat decision making, but you pulling all of the financial strings and day to day administration.”

“Considering it’s my damn finances…” he trailed off. “Yeah, that’s fine. S.H.I.E.L.D. will trust that more than with me holding all the authority.” He stared at the email again. “He loved the hell out of her, Bruce.”

Banner frowned. “He, who? Oh, Loki? Yeah, no kidding, I think we could all see that.”

“This whole ‘Hellbringer Protocol’ that he programmed into Jarvis is based on protecting her…even from herself.” Tony scrubbed a hand over eyes made gritty by concentrating on the complex code. “Well, except for the naming conventions. That was just Loki being a pain in the ass.”

“I didn’t think we’d left him alone long enough to do something like that. Well, not after he realized that Kara wasn’t manipulating his feelings.”

“It was all done in one afternoon from the date and time stamps. I checked, Kara had three patients in from S.H.I.E.L.D. and I was stuck in a board meeting, you were delivering a paper to the U.N., and the Wonder Twins were at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ giving a lecture on Asgard’s view of history.”

Bruce snorted softly, shaking his head. “One afternoon. Great. Well, if we ever get him back, we’ll have to coordinate better…and if we all have to be busy, insist he accompanies one of us.”

“No shit.” Tony looked at his workshop clock. “It’s been an hour. We’d better go check on Kara.”

“Yeah, about that.” Bruce gave him that lopsided smile that meant he was going to say something Tony knew he wouldn’t like. “We all think that you need to go in and talk to her first.”

“Gee, thanks.”

… …

“Jane? Dr. Selvig? You wanna come look at this? I think it’s starting again!” Darcy Lewis yelled at them from across the cavernous room.

Erik stood and stretched. “That’s Dr. Foster, now, Darcy,” he chided. “She hasn’t had her degree long enough to stop teasing her about it yet.”

The impertinent young woman rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah. Excuuuuuuse me, _Doctor_ Foster for a whole week and a half. Your potential wormhole sites are pinging again.”

He sighed at Darcy’s theatrics. She was a good-hearted girl, but she had quite a mouth on her. He smiled. Darcy did keep their otherwise dry bouts of intense research entertaining. “Please, Erik. Don’t encourage her,” Jane said as she looked over the equipment. “Did you do a site by site comparison, Darcy?” she asked, focusing her own attention on what Loki had described as the potential problems, the sites in Puente Antiqua, New Mexico and Sedona, Arizona. The instruments were showing activity in Puente Antiqua, but none in Sedona. “Yes! Iron Man saves the day,” she told them. “We’re getting no readings whatsoever out of Sedona.” He looked over Jane’s shoulder as she frowned at another ping located in the United States. “What the hell, this wasn’t there before.”   

“Colorado Springs,” Erik mused. “What could be in Colorado Springs?”

“Besides snow in the winter?” Darcy asked facetiously. “Well, NORAD.”

He stared at Jane who gave him a horrified look in return. “Perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D. moved the scepter to NORAD for safekeeping?” he suggested.

“If they did, it was a mistake. Loki told them it had to stay at least a thousand kilometers from any of the non-moveable sites.”

“Well, my dear, I doubt S.H.I.E.L.D. has much faith in anything that… _gentleman_ might tell them.”

“How about you?” Jane asked quietly.

Erik considered the question seriously. “If I thought he had reason to dissemble, then I would doubt his word. But this is a danger to him as well. And we had Kara Gunnarssen present when he made the statement. I have met the lady, she would know if he were so much as stretching the truth.”

Darcy walked over, holding Jane’s cell phone. “They’re punching you through to that dipsh…” she broke off and turned her attention back to the phone with a wince. “Good afternoon, Director. I have Dr. Foster for you, we, uh, have an urgent concern?” The girl handed the phone to Jane, biting her lip to hold back a laugh.

“Nick, did your people move the scepter to NORAD?” Jane asked, getting right to the point. She rolled her eyes. “Well, sure, it’s secure, but it’s also about five-hundred kilometers from Galisteo and that scepter needs to be at least a thousand kilometers from any of the stationary sites and it just got pinged. Yes, that would be important. Uh huh. Well, get it moved _now_.” Jane rubbed her forehead with one hand. “Yes, thank you. When we finish our analysis here, I’ll get back to you.”

“We’ll have to confirm all of the sites within a thousand kilometers that have ocean or seas between them have been pinged again. If so, they’ll need to be watched for more activity. While Loki doesn’t think they could come through there, I would not want to take the chance that he’s wrong.”

“Oh, _hell_ to the no,” Darcy muttered.

… …

Tony knocked on the door to Kara’s suite. From the sound it made, she had disengaged the lockdown. He waited a minute and heard the lock click. “Lady Kara advises that you may enter, sir,” Jarvis told him.

“Thanks, J.” He pushed open the door. Kara was sitting on the vanity bench from her bathroom, staring out the window. The rest of the bedroom was all but bare. The wrought iron furniture no longer resembled furniture and the bedding and other flammable items were simply…gone. He looked down at the granite floor. It showed signs of charring and a fine black ash covered it, except for a roughly circular area where Kara had been sitting. Her footprints trailed from that spot to the bathroom and then back to the window. “So, I guess we might as well get you regular furniture.”

She sighed. “Yeah. It didn’t make any difference.”

“Don’t sweat it. Pepper and Natasha can take you furniture shopping, or we can get a designer in, whatever you want.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah, actually, it does. This is your home, Kara. I want you to be comfortable here.”

“Tony, they’re not going to let me stay here once they know Loki’s gone. The only reason they let me stay this long was because they were afraid of what he’d do without me to distract him.”

“Funny thing about that. Loki had a free afternoon the other day; he put it to good use. We’ve got enough material to blackmail S.H.I.E.L.D. into doing whatever the hell we want. Good thing for them that we’re heroes and all.”

“What about Clint and Nat?” she asked. “Or Steve, for that matter?”

“Kid, we’re all resigning any and all relationships we’ve had with S.H.I.E.L.D., we’re going to incorporate ‘The Avengers’ as an independent entity. We’ll still save the world and handle emergencies and such gratis, but for everything else, they’re going to have to hire us under contract. That includes you seeing their people for PTSD treatment, they’re going to have to pay you a premium hourly rate.”

“Um, we’re still going to be operating at a loss, you know.”

Tony laughed. “Well, I’ll fund the start up costs as a charitable contribution and write it off. Then Bruce and I can patent and sell some of the defensive tech we’ve come up with, that should keep us in the black for the foreseeable future.” He frowned. Kara was still staring out the window. “What are you watching?”

“Construction cranes. It’s still going to be months before all of the damage from the invasion is fixed.”

“True. But somehow I get the feeling that it would have been a lot worse if it had gone down any other way.” She finally turned away from the window. Except for her ash-smeared feet and a bit of ash that had drifted into her hair, you couldn’t tell that she’d sat for a half-hour in the midst of an inferno. “One of these days you’re going to have to explain to me how you do that,” he muttered.

“Not burn?” she asked. He nodded. “If I ever figure it out, I’ll let you know.”

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

“No. Tony, I promised I’d try to find happiness again, but I really can’t see how that will ever be possible,” she told him as tears filled her hazel eyes.

“I know. Geez, Kara…if I ever lost Pepper it would trash me. Just thinking about it, the hole that would be left in me, it-I can’t even contemplate it. I’m not going to tell you anything clichéd, no ‘time heals all wounds’ crap, anything like that. I don’t know if this is something I’d ever recover from. What I can tell you is that we love you. You’re important, in different ways, to all of us. And we’d really like you to stick with us and try to go on. I know it’s going to be hard as hell, but in many ways you’re stronger than the rest of us put together. I think you can do it.” He gritted his teeth in frustration as the threatened tears began to pour down her cheeks.

Kara stood and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck. “Thanks, Tony,” she mumbled. “I love you guys too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Krovavyĭ ad” means “Bloody hell” and “Bozhe moy,” means “Oh my God” in Russian.


	25. Chapter 25

Kara stopped short as she entered her redecorated suite. A mahogany four poster king-sized bed with a golden canopy and gold and burgundy bed coverings rested against the far wall under the area that previously housed the embedded wall clock. A reading area with a soft chair and a bookcase that matched the bed and night tables sat near the entrance to her bathroom. The Persian rug was mainly burgundy, with gold, blue and green in the intricate design. A new mahogany breakfast table with a burgundy tablecloth and matching chairs sat under the window. She sighed. It was totally different from her previous predominately green and wrought iron decor and it helped, but being here alone was still going to hurt. “God, Loki, I miss you so damn much,” she whispered.

Pulling herself together, she strode into the walk-in closet and hung up her latest purchase, a gold and burgundy evening gown for Tony and Pepper’s engagement ball. She snorted. Yeah, an actual ball. It hadn’t been Tony’s ideal for his engagement celebration, or Pepper’s, but Stark Industries Board of Directors had insisted. It was also going to be a charitable fundraiser. Half of the proceeds from the fifteen hundred dollar per person tickets was going to the NYC Small Business Relief Fund, and the other half would be used to fund ‘Avengers, Inc.’, which would be headquartered here in what would soon be known as ‘Avengers’ Tower’.  The event had just been announced this morning and tickets were well on their way to selling out. “Lady Kara, Mr. Stark asked that I remind you that Director Fury should arrive in fifteen minutes.”

Gah, now that was something she was not looking forward to. “Thank you, Jarvis. Please call me Dr. Gunnarssen or Kara.” She’d had this conversation with the AI several times, but the system kept reverting to the form of address programmed by Loki after using her preferred name for a few hours. Tony had found a loop in the programming that reset it, but had not been able to find a way around it. It kept the pain fresh…hmm. “Jarvis, when you call me Lady Kara, it makes me sad all over again. This form of address is seriously hindering my recovery.”

“My apologies, Dr. Gunnarssen, it won’t happen again,” Jarvis replied. “Shall I advise Mr. Stark that you will be joining them in the observation lounge shortly?”

“Yes, thank you.” She pulled a pair of black slacks from their hanger and draped them over her arm as she mulled over a choice of tops, finally settling on a cream colored cable knit sweater with gold metallic thread accents. Taking the selected items into the bathroom, she changed and then brushed her hair up into a casual bun.

“Almost ready?” Nat asked as she poked her head in the open bathroom door. Kara looked up in the mirror and nodded. “Let me get some concealer under your eyes, okay?”

“Sure.” Kara sat and faced the other redhead. “Not that it matters.”

“Actually, it does. They don’t need to know how little you’re sleeping. As far as they’re concerned, you’re absolutely fine.”

“Nat, Raj is an empath; he’ll know I’m not fine.” She sighed as Natasha grimaced. “I can project being pissed with S.H.I.E.L.D. to cover it, though.”

“Good. Have you decided whether we’re exaggerating your physical condition?”

“Yes. It will keep the Regents off of our backs until we find out if Thor is able to get help for me or not.” She bit back another sigh. “After I kind of challenged Odin, I seriously doubt he’s going to agree to it.”

The Black Widow shrugged. “He may respect your courage. Look, I’m sure Thor will find a way to make him agree. If nothing else, he can get his mother on the job. Banner tells me that Loki admitted that Frigga loved him every bit as much as she loved Thor.”

“True. Hopefully that will be enough. The neurologists have even less of a clue than Bruce and I do, so I’m not going to get any help here.” She peered back into the mirror as Nat stepped back. The dark circles were now hidden from the casual observer, and even when she looked closely, it was so skillfully done that she might have missed it if she hadn’t known what to look for. “Thanks, Nat. That’s much better.”

“I am an expert and sleeplessness is a lot easier to cover than bruising from a fight.”

… …

Steve frowned as Agent Hill stalked into the room behind Director Fury. There was just something about the woman that didn’t sit right. She was always too eager, always too stern, always too…something. And she seemed to hear everything. It was spooky. He nodded to Dr. Nassar who trailed behind the other two with his customary half-smile. He was okay, and he didn’t think it was because the doctor was a shrink and knew how to make people trust him. “Good afternoon, Captain Rogers, how are you?” Nassar asked.

“Fine, sir, thank you,” he replied politely.

Tony walked in, stopped, and then frowned. “Director, I didn’t invite Agent Hill to this meeting, she’ll need to wait with your ride,” he told Fury.

Fury’s visible eyebrow rose. “Agent Hill is my deputy, I asked her to be here.”

“And I’m asking her to not be here. She doesn’t have enough clearance.”

Hill frowned and Steve bit his lip to hide a grin. “My clearance is equal to that of Director Fury,” she snapped.

He snuck a glance at Tony, the self-described genius was smirking. “Honey, that’s for S.H.I.E.L.D.; in case you didn’t notice, this isn’t S.H.I.E.L.D., get the hell out.”

She turned to Fury, her jaw working in anger. “Go wait in the Quinjet, Hill. I’ll fill you in later on anything you might need to know,” Fury told her.

“Yes, sir.” The woman turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, giving Dr. G and Nat a venomous glare as they passed her on their way in.

Nat looked at him and winked. “So sorry to see her go, aren’t you, Steve?”

“Um, not really,” he muttered and then frowned as Nat rolled her eyes. “Oh, uh, yes, absolutely.” He frowned as he felt his cheeks heat. He just wasn’t any good at this sarcasm stuff. He felt marginally better when Dr. G stepped in close and squeezed his bicep reassuringly. She looked pretty good considering how hard the past two days had been for her, he thought.

“Sorry I’m late,” Dr. Banner said as he rushed in. “I had to get that comparison running.”

“No prob, bud,” Tony told him. “Can someone go pull the Hawk out of his nest?” he asked. Nat nodded and went out the door that led to Stark’s launch area. “Thanks, Nat.” They all settled down to wait for the assassins to return.

… …

Raj Nassar thought it very interesting that Stark had banished Agent Hill from the meeting. He and Nick Fury had been speculating as to the man’s reason for calling them here, and they had a bet riding on the outcome. Kara Gunnarssen looked distracted…and terribly unhappy, he realized suddenly. Reaching out with his admittedly minor gift, he tried to read her mood only to have her flash him an annoyed look. A rock solid barrier slammed down between them. “Okay,” he heard Tony Stark say and he turned to look back at the billionaire. “We’re all here, time to get this meeting started. Cap, you’re up.”

Steve Rogers stepped away from the edge of the bar he’d been leaning against and picked up a stack of papers. He marched, there really was no other word for it, over to Nick and handed the stack to the startled man. “Sir,” he began. “These are official resignations and terminations of contract signed by each member of this team and witnessed by a notary. I think you’ll find them all in order.”

Nick stared down at the papers with his one eye and then back up at the solemn soldier. “I refuse to accept them,” he said calmly.

“I’m afraid we’re not offering you a choice, sir,” Rogers told him, his voice firming. “You will accept these resignations and terminations of contract, or they will be released publicly and simultaneously, all over the globe.”

“Let me rephrase that, captain,” Fury said. “I am not authorized by the Council of Regents to accept them. I can assure you that the council will not release any S.H.I.E.L.D. assets at this time.”

Rogers frowned fiercely. Raj could feel righteous anger emanating from him. “None of the people in this room are merely _assets_ , sir. They are people, and they have the right to work for whomever they want, and that does not include your organization.” The man’s shoulders squared even more impressively than usual and his posture shouted aggression. “We are not giving your council a choice. Don’t make us play hardball.”

Raj bit the inside of his cheek as Fury laughed. “Are we all grown up now, Captain Rogers?” he asked. “Just yesterday you were a naïve soldier, trapped out of his own time. Have you really come to terms with the twenty-first century so quickly?”

“Choosing to believe the best of people and organizations until they prove unworthy of it may be idealistic, Director Fury, but it’s not naïve. S.H.I.E.L.D. has used and abused every member of this team and it stops now.”

“Really, Steve?” Nick said, changing to a fatherly tone. “What do you think you can do about it?”

Stark stood up. “I’ll take that question, boss, if you don’t mind?” he said to Rogers.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“You see, Nick, Loki left us a _really_ nice parting gift,” Stark began.

“Parting…” Raj found himself asking.

“Oh, yeah, did we forget to tell you? Thor stopped by for his little brother and his friends a few days ago. They all went back home. So, in thanks for hosting them so kindly, Loki left us a present. Did you notice, by the way, that your hacker made a return visit about four days ago? No? Guess he didn’t want you to know. Well, we inadvertently left the Norse god of Mischief alone for an afternoon and he got a bit bored. This time, instead of just leaving sarcastic comments, he pulled a lot of highly classified information from your systems and packaged it up for us, nice and neatly. Included in this gift were the names and locations and such for each and every one of your clandestine council members.”

“You’re bluffing,” Fury stated firmly.

“Am I? Jarvis, start running the file.” They waited while a screen descended and profile pages with detailed information began scrolling on it. Fury’s complexion became ashen and it was obvious that he recognized the men and women being identified. “Your council is going to accept those resignations and such or they will be outted to every media outlet of every type world-wide.  And no, it isn’t blackmail because we’re not asking for a payoff. We’re insisting you accept legal resignations and terminations of contract.”

“And what of the Avengers Initiative, Stark? Is that going away?” Fury half-growled.

Raj frowned as he saw a large object being dangled from a crane pass in front of the windows. The object swung slightly and as he realized what it was he began to smile. He nudged Nick and directed his attention to the window in time to see the large letter ‘V’ being grabbed by the hands of construction workers. “No, not at all,” Stark told them. “It’s simply undergoing a metamorphosis. As of today, this is Avengers’ Tower, and ‘The Avengers’ team is a 501(c)(3) classified non-profit organization.”

Nick pursed his lips and held out a hand to him, rubbing his fingers together. Raj chuckled and pulled out his wallet, plucked a twenty from the billfold, and slapped it into his old friend’s waiting palm. “I should know better than to accept a wager from you by now,” he said.

… …

“Yes, you should.” Nick grinned at the startled faces of the Avengers. “I brought Agent Hill as a test; I didn’t think you were foolish enough to let her stay.”

“We trust her even less than we trust you,” Stark told him.

“Good. I hope you know that you _can_ trust me, but there will be times that I cannot do the right thing, regardless of what I want to do. As with the damned nuke, sometimes the council goes behind my back. I took out one of the birds they sent, unfortunately, they scrambled two and I wasn’t able to stop the second one.”

Rogers whistled. “You sacrificed one of your own?”

“As soon as he obeyed orders other than mine, he ceased to be one of my own.” Nick shrugged. “I was not going to sacrifice millions of people to save one man. I had faith in all of you and you needed time to succeed.”

“What about me, Nick?” Kara Gunnarssen asked bitterly. “Was I a sacrifice?”

He sighed heavily. “I didn’t have much choice there. I had to get you out of headquarters where council toadies might notice the full extent of your abilities, and I had to ensure Loki didn’t get out of hand. Two birds, one stone. I realize I put you in a difficult position, but…”

The woman shot to her feet. “A difficult position? You son of a bitch, you trashed me. I was fine. I had my research; I was helping people, lots of people. I saved lives, I saved property, then you blackmailed me into joining S.H.I.E.L.D.. Now, thanks to you, I have a broken heart and a broken body. How the hell do you sleep at night?”

“Kara,” Raj Nassar interjected. “Let’s talk about this.”

“It’s so far beyond talking, Raj, that it’s not even funny. Didn’t you get the report from your neurology specialists? I’m dying. I’ve got four to six weeks before I won’t be able to function normally, maybe twice that before I’m a total vegetable. I’ll be dead inside of a year. And there’s not one damn thing any of you can do about it. I won’t need help to _get over_ Loki. I’ll be dead and beyond caring before any therapy could possibly make a difference.”

Nick swallowed. He had read the reports and he’d forwarded them on to the Regents. It was the one thing that might allow all of this to work…the council’s belief that the Avengers’ potentially deadliest weapon was going to be neutralized. “I sleep at night only because I’m exhausted from walking a damn tightrope every minute of every single day, doctor.” He hated this, all of it, but if he didn’t do this job, S.H.I.E.L.D. would end up becoming a private army for certain radical members of the council instead of a force for good. He frowned, considering. “Does Thor know about your condition?” he asked.

“Yes, but there’s nothing he can do. Unfortunately I kind of burned my bridges there,” she muttered, flushing.

His eyebrow shot up. “Did Asgard not want Loki saved?” he asked.

“That wasn’t it. I, um, once I got the whole story and figured out what Loki’s issues were, I, um…kind of challenged Odin and said I would take him down. Apparently their gatekeeper, an all-seeing and all-hearing god named Heimdall heard me and reported it to Odin.”

Christ, Nick thought. There goes that avenue of hope. “And he’s holding a grudge. Damn. I am sorry, doctor.”

She shrugged. “Sorry doesn’t do me any good. I just hope you’ll learn something from this and leave well enough alone in the future. Oh, and you’d better support this,” she said, her hands spreading to include her teammates. “Otherwise, keep in mind that I don’t have one damn thing to lose now, and I do know where everyone holes up and thinks they’re safe.”

… …

Bruce allowed himself a small grin as the Quinjet took off. “That went well,” he said.”

“Yeah. You and Kara guessed right about Fury and Nassar. And Cap was right about Hill,” Tony said, reaching for the bottle of scotch. His friend looked at the bottle in his hand for a minute and then put it back down, unopened. “Huh. Habit, I guess,” he muttered. “I don’t need that.”

“No, you don’t. Come on, let’s hit the kitchen and I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee.”

“Cool beans. Well, hot beans, I guess,” Tony snickered as they walked to the shared kitchen. “How come your coffee tastes better than anyone else’s?”

“Since I don’t drink the stuff, I actually follow directions.”

Tony snorted. “Following directions is going to get your man card revoked, big guy.”

“Nope. That’s _asking_ for directions. Totally different rule.”

“Could be.” The billionaire hitched himself up onto one of the stools and idly played with the salt shaker. “So, Kara is being totally close-mouthed about her condition. How much was she exaggerating?”

Sighing, Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. “She halved the first part of the estimates. Kara has two, maybe three months before she’s going to be in a wheelchair. She’ll go downhill rapidly from there, but we don’t know quite how fast it will happen. Her year on the outside was probably on target.”

“Jesus. Thunderball better put the hammer down on his dad pretty damn quick. Do you think Foster is making any progress on us opening a wormhole of our own?”

“Not that she’s said. Oh, Selvig called. Their contracts run out in two months. They’ll refuse to renew them, so we’ve got two months to get all of the equipment they need set up here in the tower.”

“Pepper already has the list and has procurement working on it. Shit, I was hoping that if all else failed we could go to Asgard ourselves and lean on Thor’s old man. Jarvis? What is the status of Dr. Foster and Dr. Selvig’s procurement order?”

“Twenty-five percent complete, Anthony,” the AI replied. Bruce laughed helplessly as Tony paled.

“Oh, shit, what the hell?” he moaned.

“You used a snarky nickname for Thor; it must have reset the programming on how you’re addressed.”

“That sneaky son of a bitch.”

“Yeah, he is that. I love it.”

… …

Natasha watched Hawkeye work through the gymnastics equipment they both used for exercise. His compactly muscled body whipped through the twists and turns of the obstacle course they’d created with the different types of bars, ropes, walls, and such with practiced ease. It truly was breathtaking. She checked the timer function that had replaced the current time on the digital display in the far wall. Clint was going to beat her record if he kept to this pace. Frowning, she wondered if it was because something was troubling him or if he’d gotten his confidence back. He came off of the final piece of equipment with a triumphant yell. Oh yeah, the Hawk was back. “Two full seconds under my record,” she told him as he straightened.

“No shit?” Clint looked over at the display that was now blinking with his final time. “Hot damn. Uh, I was just in the groove for a change,” he said, trying to downplay his accomplishment.

“You did great,” she told him. “Jarvis, note Hawkeye’s time in the record, please.”

“Yes, A…M…I apologize, but you are no longer Agent Romanov, which form of address would you prefer?”

Hah. Anything other than ‘Lady Natasha’ would be fine, she thought. “Natasha will do, Jarvis. Thank you for inquiring.”

“You are most welcome, Natasha. Master Archer’s time has been updated.”

Clint grinned. He was getting a kick out of Loki’s joke, so Kara and Pepper had let that one be. “You don’t know what a load off of my mind being out of S.H.I.E.L.D. is,” he told her. She raised her left eyebrow and gave him a eloquent stare. “Uh, on second thought, you’re probably the only one who _does_ know.”

She let the corners of her mouth curve up into a sultry smile…an honestly sultry smile for a change. “We’re finally free, and we’re in the hero business instead of the assassin business,” she agreed.

“We can pick and choose assignments, except when it comes to saving the world.”

“And we have the number one technical genius on the entire planet ready and willing to make anything we need to do that world saving. It’s…inspiring,” she said, closing the distance between them.

“Nat, I’m sweaty as all hell,” he grumbled as she ran a hand from his neck down to his waist.

“I know. A hard bodied man fresh from a workout is such a turn-on.” Clint laughed quietly, as she knew he would. “Why don’t we go up to your place so you can get some fresh clothes and then over to mine and christen that new Jacuzzi that was just installed?”

“You know what the best thing about being independent is?” he asked. Natasha smiled and shook her head. “If anyone notices, they’ll just be cheering us on or teasing the hell out of us, not ratting us out.”

“Yet another perk,” she whispered as their lips met.

… …

“Wow, you’re really talented,” a woman said from behind him as Steve finished sketching in the last two missing letters on his drawing of the Avengers’ Tower. He looked up as the waitress that had served him the last time he’d stopped here moved up beside his table. “What can I get you today?” she asked.

“Um, just coffee, I guess.”

The pretty blonde smiled. “Not hungry? Our turkey sandwich is really great. We slow roast real turkey breasts and slice them thick, and the molasses oat bread it’s served on is to die for. Oh, and our cook slices and deep fries Idaho potatoes for the best homemade potato chips ever,” she enthused.

He just had to smile back, her expression was that infectious. “You know what, that does sound great.”

“Wonderful. Oh, would you like a pickle with that? We brine our own kosher dills.”

“Sure. Do you have malts?” he asked and braced for a negative.

“Yep, traditional malts, nice and thick. Should I get you one of those instead of the coffee, or do you want both?”

“Instead of, thanks.” She nodded and dashed off between the tables and he went back to his scribbling.

“Hey, stud. Why don’t ya ask the dame for her number this time?” an old man grumbled at him. He looked up. It was the same guy in the cap who’d called him a moron the last time he’d been here.

He grinned at the guy. “Yeah, I think I will. Thanks.”

The waitress returned with a glass of water. “Your malt will be ready in just a minute and I’ll have your sandwich in about five, okay?”

“Sure, that’s fine.” She stood there, staring down at him with an odd expression. Before he could ask her what was wrong she crouched down next to him.

“You’re him, I know it. I don’t want to spoil your day out, but I wanted to say thank you,” she whispered.

“Uh, him who? And for what?”

She rolled her eyes. “Captain America,” she said, still whispering. I-I recognized you when you saved us during the battle. You, um, I guess I was kind of staring at you last time you were here, you have this really cut jaw and I, um, well remembered it. And your voice. I knew it was you.”

He flushed. “Oh. Hmm. Thanks for being quiet about it,” he said softly. “And you’re welcome.” He shrugged. “I was just doing my job.”

“No, you did a great thing, and we all appreciate it.” She stood. “I’m Beth Anderson. What’s your name?” she asked in a normal tone.

“Steve,” he told her. “Steve Rogers.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Steve,” she said, holding her hand out with a huge grin.

He had to grin back as he took it and squeezed it lightly. “Likewise.”

“I’ll go get your malt…be right back!”

“Moron, you still didn’t get her number. What’s with you kids these days?” the old man asked.

“I like to take things slow, sir,” Steve told him. “It’s polite and respectful.”

“Boy, you’re in the wrong decade for that.”

He sighed. “Don’t I know it?” Beth came winding back through the tables, balancing a tray above the heads of the other patrons.

“Here we go,” she said. “Your food was ready too. I brought you mayo and mustard and some Thousand Island since I forgot to ask which you wanted.” She set the plate of food down in front of him and then the malt beside it before pulling a straw from her apron pocket. “Let me know if you need anything else,” Beth told him as she pulled a ticket off of her pad and placed it just above his meal.

He picked it up and looked at it. There was no charge listed, just some zeros over a long number. “Uh, Beth?” he asked. “What is this?”

She came back and looked down to where he pointed at the three zeros written in the total charge box. Leaning in she whispered, “My boss said it’s on the house. He was walking me to the subway that day, you saved us both.”

“Oh, I couldn’t…” he trailed off at her frown. “Um, thanks, that’s really nice.” He looked down at the ticket again. “What’s this?” he asked, pointing at the long number underneath his order.

Beth rolled her eyes. “That’s my cell number, silly. Call me if you want,” she said as she sashayed off.

“Hot damn, son, you scored,” the old man told him, cackling with laughter.

“Yeah, I guess I did.” Steve put some mayo and after tasting it, some of the ‘Thousand Island’ on his sandwich, picked it up and took a bite. It was amazing. He swallowed the bite and crunched a few of the lightly salted chips and then took a bite of the pickle. “Things are looking up,” he said as he lifted the glass holding his malt and saluted Avengers’ Tower with it.


	26. Chapter 26

Kara bit back a smirk as she watched Clint and Nat emerge from Nat’s suite with damp hair. “Christening the Jacuzzi?” she asked lightly.

Clint actually flushed; amazing. “Uh, hi, Doc,” he said, ignoring her question.

She chuckled. “The next time you tease Steve about blushing over something, I’m going to remind you of this.”

“I’m not blushing.”

“Sure, you aren’t.”

Nat smiled. “It’s just the heat from the Jacuzzi,” she claimed facetiously, earning a glare from Clint for confirming Kara’s guess.

Kara grinned as the elevator doors opened. “Going up?” Bruce asked.

“Yes, we are,” she told him. “Come along, lovebirds.”

“Kara, I’ll let you get away with that crack once and only once,” Nat hissed.

She laughed. “Okay, I’ll stop. Come on, let’s get some dinner.”

The short ride to the formal dining room level was completed in silence. Kara stepped out of the elevator first so that her friends wouldn’t see her still highly amused grin. She managed to school her features into a more somber expression before they entered the dining room. “Oh, great timing,” Tony said as he came in from the observation lounge, carrying two bottles of wine. “We’re having filet mignon; I’ve got a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Petite Sirah. And yes, Kara, I know you want Port, this is for those of us who drink dinner appropriate wines with dinner.”

“Humph. The appropriate wine is one you enjoy drinking,” she insisted and stuck her tongue out at him as he smirked. She looked at her already poured glass of wine and lifted it for a taste. A nice full-bodied Souza. Perfect. Tony made the rounds of the table, pouring the others’ choices of wine. “Well, if the technological genius gig ever fails him, he could make it as a waiter,” she said to Pepper.

“He did that for a while when he was rebelling against his dad.”

“You’re kidding me?” Kara chuckled at the thought. “How long did he last at it?”

Pepper chuckled. “Only about three weeks.”

“Figures.” She eyed Nat and Clint as they sat across from her, studiously avoiding looking in her direction. They’d even changed the seating around the table. She was now sitting between Pepper and Bruce. Steve was at the far end across from Tony, and Nat and Clint were alone on the other long side where she had previously sat with Loki. She sighed.

“Hon, try not to think about it,” Nat told her.

“I do try. Unfortunately, I think I’ll be failing at it for a long time to come,” she responded before taking a deep drink of her Port.

“What?” Clint asked then frowned as he realized what Nat was talking about. “Oh. Sorry.” He frowned down at the table as his plate was set before him by Tony’s chef. “Thank you,” he said. “Look, Doc, I know you’re hurting, but you’ve got to let it go. That blue-eyed freak isn’t worth it.”

“Oh, Clint, really?” Pepper scolded.

“What?” Kara muttered, and stared at the archer. “What did you say?”

“Sorry, but the man…god…whatever the hell he is, is a freak.”

“No, Clint, what did you say about his eyes?”

“Um, they’re blue? Kind of a freaky blue. Cold one minute, then glowing all hot the next. Maybe it had something to do with his magic.”

“His eyes are green,” she managed past the lump that shock was building in her throat.

“No, blue, I had to stare at those damn freaky eyes for days on end.”

Pepper frowned. “I thought they were green too.”

“They were a very bright blue in Stuttgart,” Steve told them. “Kind of glowing, but I thought that was a reflection from that scepter. In the Quinjet, afterwards, they were a more normal icy blue.”

“Perhaps they’re hazel?” Bruce offered. “Blue or green depending on the lighting?”

Kara sighed. “Bruce, I was on intimate terms with the man for a week. I think I’d have noticed if his eyes changed color in different lighting.”

… …

“Uh, guys,” Tony began. “I’m kind of remembering blue from before, too. But they were definitely green these past few weeks.”

“Do you think?” Natasha asked.

“One way to find out,” he told her. “Jarvis, give me some images of Loki that clearly show his eyes. Let’s go for same location, same lighting, both before the battle and once he returned here after he was taken from Asgard. What can you find for me?”

A screen lowered from the ceiling. Unlike the set up he had in the labs and his workroom, the living areas did not have interactive holographic displays. The equipment for it was still too intrusive. One of these days he’d find time to refine it enough that it could be used anywhere. An image appeared. It was Loki, standing in the observation lounge while Tony was ‘threatening’ him. You could feel the intensity of his very blue-eyed stare and that damned smirk. “Okay, that was before he got Hulked. Definitely blue. What else you got for us, J?”

“Formatting, sir.” Another shot of Loki, standing almost in the same position, moved into place beside the first. Tony recognized this as well; it was a few days ago, after they’d said their goodbyes. This Loki was wearing a small sad and tired smile…and his eyes were most definitely green. A pure, no way to confuse it with hazel, green.

“Holy shit. That’s one hell of a difference. It’s about the same type of day, even. Look at the shadows in the room, almost identical in size and direction.” He rubbed a hand over his goatee and stared.

“I have one more for you, sir.”

“Lay it on us, J.” They all watched silently as a third image slid into place. Thor was holding a very battered Loki upright after Bruce’s alter ego had finished trashing his floor with the ‘puny god’.  Loki looked dazed, and his eyes... “Green, damn it to hell, you close-mouthed bastard.”

“What happened?” Clint asked.

“Cognitive dissonance,” Natasha told him. “The Hulk hit Loki in the head _really_ hard.”

“So why the fuck didn’t he say something?” Clint demanded.

Kara sighed. “Because he’s a stupid, prideful idiot.”

“Watch it,” Tony said with a grin. “That’s your lover boy you’re calling an idiot.”

She glared daggers at him. “He’s a man, Tony. Prideful idiocy comes with the territory.”

“Ouch. Okay, I guess I’ll own up to that one.” He shook his head. “But seriously, we all knew Master Archer over there wasn’t to blame for what he did. Loki could have just told us this; we could have searched for the evidence, found it, and cleared his ass.”

“I think…he was embarrassed. He’s so proud of his power, his strength, and his control. I think being controlled just, hell, with all of his other issues; it was probably the icing on the cake. He probably thinks that if he were full-blooded Æsir, it couldn’t have happened. So he’s probably blaming his Jötunn blood for what he sees as a weakness.”

“Full-blooded what?” Bruce asked.

“Æsir,” she replied. “That’s what the primary race the gods in Asgard are called. He didn’t think it was worth correcting anyone. Hogun and Fandral weren’t going to explain because you usually lumped Loki in with them when discussing Asgard. They were all citizens of Asgard so they’re all Asgardian. But of the three, only Loki wasn’t also a full-blood Æsir.”

“Sorry, we missed the lecture. I was in a board meeting and Bruce was at the U.N.,” Tony quipped.

“Yeah, and where did that get you, _Anthony_ ,” Kara teased.

“It wasn’t his fault,” Clint muttered.

“No, Loki would be the first to say it’s still his fault. He kept going back to that whenever I’d press him for an explanation. If nothing else, it’s his fault he fell into the void and left himself open to this obscenity,” Kara told them. “Though I think a large part of the fault in that is Odin’s.”

Tony frowned at Clint who was looking thoroughly deflated. “Hard to let go of the hate for what he did to you, huh?” he asked the man, trying to sound sympathetic.  Judging from the grateful look Nat shot him, he was successful.

“Yeah, but…damn. It really wasn’t his fault.”

“Tony, this means that all of the coincidences…remember Erik Selvig telling us that he had some bit of control? He still had to do what he was ordered to do, but he could do things he wasn’t specifically ordered not to do, like build in that shut down for the gate,” Bruce said. “So Loki was manipulating things as best he could while not disobeying his orders, to get us, all of us in place to stop the invasion from succeeding.”

“Yep. Which means he is one scary smart son of a bitch. And that he probably manipulated the other guy into pounding him into the floor in an effort to break free.”

“We’ve got to do something about this,” Cap said. “He’s going on trial in Asgard and they don’t have all of the facts to make a fair judgment.”

Yeah, figured the boy scout would jump on that one first… “You aren’t wrong,” he agreed. Tony strode out through the observation lounge and onto his launch deck. “Yo, Heimdall! I hope you’re listening, because we’ve got some important news for you. We’ve just found evidence that Loki was being controlled by the enemy and is not really responsible for the invasion here. In fact, other evidence suggests he fought that control and minimized the damage as much as he could and made it possible for us to shut it down.” He paused to take a breath, feeling silly as all hell talking to the air like this. There had to be a better way to communicate. “Anyway, we have to insist that your Tribunal take this in to consideration during the trial and sentencing. We’re the ones he wronged and we’re leaning towards letting it go, that has to count for something, even to your people.” He sighed. Hopefully the all-hearing bastard was listening.

He trudged back into the dining room where Kara was sitting hunched over in her seat with tears running down her cheeks. Pepper had an arm around her and Nat was standing behind her, rubbing Kara’s shoulders. Kara looked up. “Do you think it will help?” she asked.

Tony sighed again. “Well, he got word to Thor earlier. And per Hogun and Fandral, he told Odin about your little challenge, so there’s no reason to think he won’t pass this on, too.” He shrugged. “Whether it will help, that I can’t tell you. I guess it depends on how they view it.”

… …

“Damnation, no!” his brother yelled as he slammed the flat of both hands onto the patch of grass he was examining. “How are they doing that?” Loki snarled.

Thor dismounted and walked over to give his brother a hand up. “Doing what, Loki?” he asked as softly as he could manage, not liking the desperately haunted expression on his lean face.

Loki shook his head. “Hiding their trail, brother.” Thor’s mood brightened as it always did when Loki acknowledged their bond, especially when he did it so casually, without thinking about it. “I can feel the magic…hells, I can smell it. But there is no trail leading here or away from here. Power this intense _cannot_ be just turned on and turned off so completely, but there is _nothing_. It’s been the same thing every day for nigh on a week; it’s so damned frustrating.”

“I can see that,” Thor agreed, frowning as Loki seemed to pull in upon himself. “We’ll find them.”

“I don’t see how, Thor.” Loki looked at him and Thor could see despair in his little brother’s green eyes. “I-I’ve failed…again,” he said, sounding lost.

“No. You have not failed.” He sighed as Loki pulled away from him and stood staring off into the distance, shoulders hunched. “Loki, we asked only that you do your very best to find them. You have done that, and you are finding them, even if it is only where they have just been. That is not a failure,” he insisted. “You are closer behind them than even Odin could manage with all of his vast power.” Loki turned to glare at him and Thor was startled to see wetness in his brother’s eyes.

“Don’t you see? That does not matter; if I cannot stop this, then I will be responsible for an invasion of Asgard. If I do not die in the battle that will follow, then the All-Father will be forced to sentence me for betraying the realm. You do know how harsh such a sentence must be?”

Thor shuddered. He did know. The last Æsir sentenced for such a betrayal had been drained of all but his immortality and was still imprisoned in the dungeons, and it had been five centuries since his trial. “Loki, our father could not…”

“For the love of Asgard, Thor, he is _NOT_ my father! Do you not understand that I was a potential tool for him, nothing more?” Loki sank back down onto the ground, shaking. “Now I am not only useless to him, I have betrayed all that he ever cared for. He will not be merciful.”

Blinking back tears of his own, Thor settled down on the ground and pulled Loki into his embrace. “I do not think you meant to betray us, brother. I will convince him of that, somehow. I swear I will not let…”

“Don’t promise what you have no power over. I will not have you forsworn. If you must promise me something, promise me this. Swear that you will somehow, even if you must coerce him, get Kara healed. That is all I would ask of you.”

“I’ve already promised that, and I will do so.” Thor looked down at Loki’s drawn expression. Silent tears slid down his cheeks. “You truly love her,” he said in awe.

“Don’t be foolish,” Loki whispered in a hoarse voice. “She’s mortal.”

Thor smiled. “Love is almost always foolish, my brother. It’s expected.”

His brother laughed brokenly. “Fine. Then I am the greatest of fools. I do love her.” He looked up with a bitter smile. “I not only fell in love with a mortal, but with one who will die far younger than most. I never do things by half, do I?”

Chuckling, Thor hugged his little brother tightly and was happy to feel Loki return it. “No, Loki, you have always done everything to the greatest of extremes.”

… …

Kara fussed with the diamonds that Tiffany’s had lent to her for the big occasion. Natasha was also sporting borrowed jewelry. Nat however, did not look as nervous as Kara felt. The assassin frowned at her as she tugged at the necklace once again. “Kara, it’s all in the attitude. Act like you were born to it and you will look like you were born to it.”

“Humph. You, at least, have the name for it.” Kara turned to stare at her friend. “Are you related to the royal line?” she had to ask.

Nat shrugged. “The last Czar was my first cousin twice removed, so, yes. But that and a dollar won’t even get me a cup of coffee these days.”

“There, see? You were born to it. I, well, wasn’t.”

“No, but you’re loved by a prince of Asgard and rightful heir of Jötunheim. That’s got to count for something.” 

Kara felt Nat bracing for a poor reaction to her words. “Relax; I’m not going to spaz out on you. I’ll be sensitive about it, probably for as long as I live, but I’ve got better self control than to just dissolve into a weeping mess at the slightest mention. I save that for when I go to bed at night; that’s when it really hurts.” She smiled at her friend’s approving smile and pat on her shoulder. “Yeah, I’m tough.”

Nat chuckled quietly. “You’re an Avenger, Kara; that goes without saying.”

… …

“Okay, I guess I’m ready,” Tony muttered as he inspected himself in the mirror. Again.

Pepper smiled. He’d said the same thing at least four times in the past ten minutes. “You are, now stop admiring yourself, it’s time to go.”

“I’m not admiring myself; I’m making sure I’m ready to have everyone else admire me. After all, can’t let the fan girls down.”

“Or the fan boys.” She broke out into a laugh at his disconcerted expression. “Oh, come on, Tony. Don’t tell me you don’t know you are the reigning favorite of the gay community?” He flushed and she laughed harder. “Seriously, you were voted ‘Most Lickable Celebrity’ last year.”

“Huh, not this year?” he asked, sounding disappointed.

She rolled her eyes. “They haven’t had the vote this year yet.”

“Oh, good. Hmm. Good thing Fr…uh, Loki went back to Asgard.”

Now that was a non sequitur and a half. “Okay, I’m probably going to regret asking, but why?”

“He had to undress for those scans back at S.H.I.E.L.D., the two technicians assisting were all but losing it. One of them was male, but I didn’t really think he was gay.”

Pepper shrugged. “Maybe he was bi?”

“Could be. Anyway, Loki noticed and started pretty much posing for them. It was…interesting.”

“Huh, is he that hot naked?”

That earned her a frown. “I don’t know. I-well, damn. Yeah, I guess he is. But I’m hotter.” He smiled at her skeptical look. “Hey, I am, literally. Human body temperature is a few degrees higher than an Æsir, and theirs are higher than the Frost Giants.”

“Oh, Tony.” She shook her head and draped her arms around his neck. “I think you are the hottest of the hot,” she assured him.

“Yeah, well…that’s good, then.”

“It is, now come on, we can’t be late.”

“Fine.” He followed her from the room and they stopped to wait for the elevator. “Pepper, you will always be the most gorgeous woman in the world to me, you know that, right?”

She smiled the serene smile that never failed to drive him insane. “I do know it, but it’s nice to hear it, frequently.”

He laughed. “You’ve got it, babe.”

… …

“So, you’re Dr. Banner, huh?”

Bruce turned to look at the young woman who had spoken. She was about five-eight or so, with dark wavy hair, greenish eyes behind her glasses and had full pouty lips and a very amazing cleavage that was shown off by her deep cut sapphire blue gown. “Yes, I’m Bruce Banner,” he said, wondering what the girl wanted with him. He wasn’t exactly the most popular member of the Avengers at the event. Rogers was surrounded by a bevy of women who still weren’t managing to drag him away from his blonde date.

She held out a hand and he took it reflexively. “Darcy Lewis. I work for Jane…Dr. Foster and Dr. Selvig. They weren’t able to make it so sent me to visit.” She grinned irrepressibly. “I think they just wanted to get me out of their hair for a while.”

He had to return her smile. “I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

“Yeah, you don’t know me.” She stared at him with a totally perplexed expression for a minute before speaking again. “I don’t know; I just can’t picture you getting big and green.”

Bruce blinked. She was a forward, tactless girl, but…that was better than beating around the bush, he supposed. “Um, thank you?”

Darcy laughed. “I’m sorry. I guess you can see why they’re glad for a vacation from me. I don’t have much of a tact filter.”

“That’s okay. I spend a lot of time with Tony Stark, I not only work with him, I live in his tower. He has no such filter at all.”

“Wait, you live with _that_ guy,” she said, pointing at Tony, “and you don’t hulk out on him on a regular basis? Wow, you must have great control.”

“It’s gotten better. He knows not to follow me if I walk away.”

“Good to know. You got a girlfriend?” she asked just as he took a sip of champagne and he nearly choked before he managed to swallow.

“Uh, ahem. No.”

Darcy frowned. “Well, that sucks, you’re a handsome man.” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you gay? It’s okay if you are, I don’t have a problem with that; just would be good to know, you know?”

Bruce found himself staring at her. She wasn’t kidding; she had no filter on that lush mouth whatsoever. “Um, no, I’m not gay.” She didn’t ask if he was bi, thank heaven. That wasn’t something he wanted to discuss with someone he’d just met…particularly when he wasn’t sure a hundred percent sure about it himself. Finding certain men attractive did not necessarily mean he wanted a sexual relationship with them.

“Cool.” She frowned again. “Do you think Stark is going to mind putting me up at the tower? Jane didn’t exactly ask before she sent me here.”

Oh boy. “I’ll, uh, let Pepper know. She’ll take care of it.”

“Excellent, thanks, Bruce. Um, can I call you Bruce? I’m not really good with all the doctor this and doctor that stuff.”

“Sure, no problem.” His eyebrows rose as she wrapped a hand around his arm and stepped in close.

“Great.” Darcy smiled up at him. “I’ve always loved the absent-minded professor look.”

Oh. Boy.

… …

“Dr. Gunnarssen?” Kara looked up at the fortyish man approaching her with a bimbo on his arm. “I’m Roger Miller, head of Trauma at NYP, we met briefly last month?”

“Oh, you’re the surgeon that helped us save Loki. Yes, I remember. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, I suppose. Were you able to get any intel out of the bastard?”

She stiffened. “Loki willingly helped us to prevent a larger invasion. We didn’t have to _get_ anything out of him.”

“I’m sure he got something out of it, too. People like that never change.”

Kara gritted her teeth and reminded herself to be polite. New York Presbyterian had the best trauma center in the city. There was no telling when they’d need them again. “Actually, we discovered he had been coerced into his earlier attack. He wasn’t in control of his own actions.”

Dr. Miller burst out laughing. “Oh, right. Sure, I bet he’s pleading temporary insanity. Though, wait. Isn’t he the Norse god of Lies? Bet he puts Machiavelli to shame.”

If the jerk didn’t shut up, she was going to lose it. A stabbing pain shot through her head. “I don’t think…”

“Um, Dr. Gunnarssen, I don’t want to alarm you, but your nose is bleeding,” the asshole said, his voice finally quieting.

She put a hand to her upper lip. Sure enough, a steady drip of blood quickly coated her fingers. “Damn it.” Looking around, she saw Hawkeye having a conversation with the Black Widow. “Clint? I need a hand here.” He looked up and the two of them hurried over.

“Crap, doc, what happened?”

“Another migraine. I need to go home.” She looked over at the hovering surgeon and his arm candy. “Good night Dr. Miller,” she said then turned her back on the man. “Get me out of here before I let loose on that bastard,” she hissed to Clint.

“Got it. Nat, you want to let Stark know what happened?”

“Will do. I’ll catch you both at home.”

“Come on, doc, this way,” he said, wrapping a strong arm around her waist.

They’d not quite made it to the door when Steve rushed up to them, the pretty blonde waitress he’d brought to the event hurrying behind him. “Doc, we’ve got an ice pack for your nose,” he said as Beth held out a small bag of semi-frozen gel ice pack wrapped in a thin cloth.

“If you hold it here, the bleeding should stop pretty quickly,” she said pointing to the optimum location. “I’ve got a damp towelette for the blood, too.

“Thanks, Beth, Steve,” Kara managed, taking both items and applying them. “Clint is taking me back to Avengers’ Tower.”

“We’ll go with you. Beth says she’s even more bored than I am.”

The girl grinned. “It’s a real good excuse.”

Clint snorted. “Glad to see it’s not just me. Come on, doc. Let’s get you home and to bed.”

… …

Loki stiffened atop his horse as he felt a heavy influx of power building. “Thor, we’ve got a problem, I think…oh gods, they’ve got it in place to open a gate; I can feel the power building up.”

“Which way?” his brother asked tersely.

He stood up in the stirrups. “That way,” he said pointing, then dropped back down in the saddle and spurred his mount forward. They pounded across the dry wash and up the side of the barren riverbed. “We’re not going to get there in time,” he shouted. “I’ll take your horse, go back to the Valhöll, the All-Father must be warned!”

Thor nodded and flung himself from the horse’s back. “Head directly back there, if it’s already started, you can’t stop it, no one can. We need to assemble the host!”

“I’ll be right behind you. Go!” Loki grabbed the abandoned reins and turned his own steed toward the Valhöll. His brother was right. He couldn’t stop it, but if the device their unknown enemies had built was similar in design to the one put together by Erik Selvig, then the scepter could shut it down. He’d need to be on the Bifröst to travel to Midgard, even under his own power. With the precarious position he was in, he’d ask Odin’s permission first. He yelled to the horses as he urged them into a desperate gallop back to the heart of the golden city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know Loki’s eyes didn’t glow the same blue as the scepter and tesseract in the movie, I’m taking artistic license.


	27. Chapter 27

Steve handed Beth out of the limo and then reached in to take Dr. G from Clint Barton. She was trembling slightly, still holding the ice pack to her face. The bleeding had slowed, considerably, but hadn’t stopped. “We’ll be up to your suite in a minute,” he assured her, though he wasn’t sure that would help any.

“No. Take me to the testing room. I need to bleed off some of the energy or it’s just going to get worse,” she mumbled. Pulling the blood-stained towel away from her nose she frowned. “No pun intended.”

Huh? “Uh, okay.” He strode to the elevator, cradling her in his arms. “Jarvis, testing level, please,” he ordered as the doors opened and they entered the elevator.

“Yes, Captain Rogers,” Jarvis replied. “Master Archer, would you be available to take a call from Director Fury and Dr. Selvig?”

“Yeah, why not, that will just be the icing on the cake tonight,” Barton muttered.

Steve grinned. “I’ll get Dr. G situated and then meet you in the comm room.” He looked at Beth. “Oh, um, I should have the driver take you home, I guess. I’m really sorry about this.”

“It’s okay. But maybe I can stay and help with Kara? I start my internship in May, so I do know a few things about being a medical doctor,” she reminded him.

“Oh, yeah. But...” he trailed off, trying to find a tactful way to tell her that she didn’t have clearance.

“Steve, really. I’ll sign confidentiality paperwork, whatever you need. My dad was Secret Service, he was killed in the line of duty a while back, but I was old enough to know all about that kind of thing.”

He shrugged. “Okay. Doc, that sound okay to you?”

“Yeah, sure. Probably a good idea.”

They exited on the testing level leaving Barton to go back up to the communications level alone. The testing level was several stories underground which unnerved him a bit. He had an ongoing concern that if something went wrong down here it could take out the whole building. They’d all tried to explain to him why it couldn’t, but it still bugged the heck out of him. “Okay, here we go,” he said as Beth stepped ahead of him and held open the door that Jarvis had unlocked for them. “Where should I put you?”

“I can stand, you know,” Dr. G told him, sounding irritated. He flushed and set her on her feet. “Beth, help me get out of this dress and then take it into that observation room over there. Normally what I do doesn’t affect my clothing, but this is a designer original, and I really don’t want to chance it considering how crappy I feel. Steve, show Beth how to secure the…are you blushing? Oh for God’s sake, Steve. I’ve still got my underwear on.”

“Sorry, I…uh, force of habit?”

“Jesus. Beth, you’ve got a lot of work to do with that man.”

Beth giggled. “That’s okay. I’m thinking he’s worth it.”

He fought back another blush. “Uh, thanks. Let me show you how to do the lock down in the observation room to keep you safe while Dr. G does her thing.” He led the way into the reinforced and shielded room and then showed her the mechanism and explained the control panel. “If anything goes wrong, just call out to Jarvis, he’s the computer system that runs the tower, and he’ll get me or Clint, okay?”

“I’ve got it. Thanks for trusting me, Steve.” She laid one hand on his chest and touched his tensed jaw with the other.

“No, thank you for helping, it means a lo…” Her lips reached his and he totally lost track of what he’d been trying to say. He gasped when she pulled back slightly, grinning mischievously. “Um. Wow.”

She smiled. “I love it that you blush, I think it’s really sweet. But you’d better go take that call from director whosits.”

“Yeah, um…yeah. If you need anything…”

“I’ll ask Jarvis, I’ve got this.”

“Thanks.” He leaned in and kissed her back, quickly, then headed for the elevator, fighting another blush. “Good thing she likes the blush,” he muttered crossly as the elevator doors closed. “Doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to stop doing it anytime soon.”

… …

Beth finished locking down the room, then hit the intercom lever that Steve had shown her. “Okay, Kara. I’m all locked in.” The redhead nodded and then turned to face what looked like dummies made of wrapped material. Beth gasped as three of them burst into flame. “Oh, wow. That’s…awesome,” she whispered.

Kara Gunnarssen looked over her shoulder at her. “It’s freaky,” she corrected.

“Oh, crap. Sorry, I forgot to turn off the intercom. But, you know, it really is awesome. I mean, yeah, Iron Man could do that, but only with tech. You don’t need tech.”

The pyrokinetic shrugged. “I need tech to protect myself from everything else. Tony’s armor protects him. Steve can take hit after hit and keep on going. Bruce, hell, shoot Bruce and you get the Hulk spitting the bullets back out at you. Me, not so much.”

Beth shrugged. “They’d have to see you coming, first.” She frowned as a printer turned on and papers flowed out of it.

“Miss Anderson, please read and sign the confidentiality agreement. I am making a video record of you doing so in lieu of witnesses,” the disembodied voice of the tower’s computer system advised her.

“I can’t witness, Jarvis?” Kara said from the other room.

“No, Dr. Gunnarssen. Verification independent of the Avengers is necessary. I’m sending a live feed to legal of the proceedings.”

“Okay, just checking.” She walked up to the viewport. “I’m done in here. Do you want to go up and get something to eat with me once you’ve read through that?”

Beth looked up from her reading. “Ah, sure. Let me get the door.” She reached over and hit the disengage buttons for the lockdown. The hydraulics released the door with an audible hiss. “This might take a while,” she continued, holding up the stack of papers.

“No problem. I’m going to go up to my suite, take a quick shower and then get some street clothes on.” Beth felt her eyebrows lift as Kara looked her over critically. “You’re about my size, give or take an inch here and there. I’ve got some clean workout clothes you can borrow if you want to get comfortable.”

“Sure, that would be great.”

“Jarvis, when Miss Anderson is done here, direct her to my suite.”

“Yes, doctor.”

“See you in a few,” Kara told her with a tired smile as she picked up her dress and headed for the elevator.

“Okay.” Beth slogged her way through the rest of the document. One thing her dad had always insisted on was that you read every page of a contract, regardless of how much you trust the people who have offered it. Finally reaching the end, she picked a pen from a cup of pens and pencils that sat on the room’s desk and started to sign at the bottom.

“Miss Anderson. I apologize for the necessity, but you will first need to read the contract aloud and then indicate that you are signing it willingly and without coercion.”

“Oh, okay. That makes sense.” She sat back down and picked up the first page. “I, Bethany Margaret Carter Anderson, do hereby swear and affirm…”

… …

Clint looked up as Cap strode into the room. “What’s up?” the still tuxedo-clad man asked.

“Something’s going on with that freaking scepter. S.H.I.E.L.D. is in a panic and wants us to come guard it.”

“Well, if we’re not actually under attack, they’ve got to agree to the standard contracted rates,” Steve said with a shrug, obviously trying to appear disinterested.  

Fury sighed from the screen. “Yes, the contracts are signed and on their way to you. When can you get here?”

“Well, Clint and I can leave now. Tony can join us later. He’s in the middle of his engagement ball and I’m not going to ask him to leave it if we don’t have an actual attack ongoing.”

“How’s Kara?” Fury asked.

“Not sure, she was still blowing off some steam when I left them. Jarvis?”

“Yes, captain. Dr. Gunnarssen is headed to her suite for a shower and a change of clothing. She appears to be much improved.”

“Fury, we’ll check with her and see if she’s up for it. She had another migraine tonight, so it’s iffy right now.”

“Understood. Keep me informed.”

Fury signed off and Clint looked at Rogers. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” he told Steve.

“Are you going to tell her she can’t if she wants to? Or take off without her and deal with how upset she’ll be later?”

“That would not just be no, but hell, no.” Clint sighed. “Jarvis, open up a line to Dr. G’s suite.”

“Opened, Master Archer.”

Rogers shook his head. “Are you never gonna get that fixed?”

He grinned. “Why? I kind of like it.”

“It might bug Dr. G, considering who came up with it.”

“Oh, shit. I never thought of that. Damn.”

“It doesn’t bother me, Clint,” Dr. G’s voice came over the line Clint had forgotten he’d asked for. “It makes me smile.”

“Cool. Fury needs backup for guarding the scepter, something funky is going down with it and they’re running around like chickens without heads.”

“We going?”

He winced. “Ah, yeah, if you’re up to it.”

“No problem. Make me up a few fluffernutter sandwiches for the road, guys. I’m going to need the carbs and the protein and grab me a few cokes for the caffeine. I’ll suit up and meet you near the helipad. Oh, Steve, I’ll get Beth into some sweats, Jarvis said her paperwork is completed and he’s left a message to that effect for Tony. She can wait in the game room for the others to get back, or Jarvis will order a car for her if she wants.”

“Good deal.”

… …

“Father!” Thor called out as he strode into the Valhöll. “Loki feels a gate opening, we must assemble the host!”

The eldest of the gods turned and frowned at him. “Yes, Thor, I have felt it as well.” Odin looked beyond him. “Where is your brother?” he asked.

“Following behind with the horses. He sent me ahead with Mjölnir. We did not feel the news could wait.” Thor looked around and noticed the scurrying of servants and warriors making preparations. “Father,” he said softly. “Loki is…despondent. He feels that he has failed us.”

The All-Father sighed. “I have been watching the two of you closely, as has Heimdall. Loki has done his utmost, in that we are agreed.”

“Then?”

“It will count in his favor, should we all survive to bring him before the Tribunal.” Odin frowned at him again as he opened his mouth to speak. “Son, I know he did not willingly bring this upon us. But he has committed other crimes and he must be held responsible for them. I cannot simply accept an apology and slap him on the wrist, you know this. He nearly destroyed Jötunheim and killed many Midgardians.”

“I know it, father. But I ache for him. Perhaps if I’d been a better brother, none of this would have happened.”

“Or I a father? Yes, I know how my silence on his heritage affected him. I did not need your Midgardian healer to point it out. Think, my son. If Loki had not gone into the void, would these forces still covet Asgard and its treasures? I believe they would. At least now we know what they seek and can protect it at all costs, and if necessary send it far away to keep it from their master.”

“The gauntlet Loki spoke of; the one he said I must never use, nor ever allow him to use, is this the treasure they seek?”

“If their master is the Mad Titan as I suspect, then yes. And he must not have it, even if the Realm Eternal must meet its end to prevent it.”

“I understand, father. But please, will you speak to Loki. Let him know his efforts are appreciated? It would give him heart for the battle to come.”

Odin’s sole eye looked off into the distance. “I will give him what encouragement I can.”

… …

Kara paced in the open area between the main gates and the locked down building. Fort freaking Knox. Good grief. They’d stashed Doctors Foster and Selvig and the damned scepter in the middle of the nation’s gold repository. Brilliant. Freaking idiots. The military personnel had been pulled from all but the outer walls and replaced with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. That did not make _her_ feel particularly secure. If she were called on to use her gifts fully, there would be too many damn witnesses happy to report back to their damned Regents, if not actually open fire on her if it scared them enough. If this wasn’t all a wild-goose chase and she was going to go down, she was damned well going to take Nick Fury with her. “God, I hate this,” she muttered.

“Take it easy, doc,” Steve said over her earpiece. “This thing is really going crazy in here. This isn’t a false alarm. Even with the new containment system the energy is flying all over the place.”

“Have they come up with any idea as to what’s causing it?” she asked.

“Jane Foster thinks a wormhole has opened somewhere…not here, though. Dr. Selvig is now reluctantly agreeing.”

“Oh God. That’s…really bad. Damn it, Steve, we just got Loki put back together, what if those bastards take him again?”

She could hear the soldier sigh. He sounded tired. “I-I know, doc…Kara. I’m sorry, I wish I had better news for you.”

“It’s okay, Steve. Thanks. Any word from Tony?”

“Hawkeye here,” Clint’s voice announced. “Iron Man is on his way. The others will follow as soon as transportation reaches them.”

“Iron Man here…well, not there, but…hmm, looks like I’m still over Pennsylvania. I should be there in maybe a half-hour.”

“Should we leave the tower empty?” she wondered aloud.

“Jarvis has it locked down tight. Pepper and Beth are there to keep us up to date if anything happens that needs a human decision. Well, Pepper is there to make the decision, and she’s got Beth to keep her company,” Tony said.

“That will have to do. We’ve really got to think about recruiting new members though, if this kind of crap is going to continue.”

“No shit, kid. How’s the armor feel?”

She moved around, stretching. “Comfortable. I can move pretty normally. I like what you did with the back of the knees and insides of the elbows. It’s much more flexible.”

“Cool beans. Okay, hang in there, team. Pepper just let me know that a Quinjet has arrived for Bruce and Natasha so they’ll be about a half-hour behind me.” She could hear his chuckle over the link. “Avengers Assemble and bill S.H.I.E.L.D. through the nose for this one.”

“I just hope we don’t have to earn it.”

… …

Loki sprawled on the manicured grounds outside of the building that was his target. Something had forced him to rebound from shifting himself directly to the scepter’s location. “Damnation,” he muttered as he climbed to his feet, glad that he’d worn his full armor. “That…hurt.” He frowned and examined the energy that suffused the building. It was similar to the containment field they’d used previously, but was much refined. He could break through it, but it was going to…

“Loki? What are you doing here?”

He looked toward the familiar voice, one that he would, under normal circumstances, have been happy to hear. “Stand aside, Kara. I need that scepter,” he ordered.

“I can’t do that. Go away, Loki. You can’t be here.”

“Sweet lady, I don’t want to hurt you, or anyone here, but I _will_ take the scepter, I cannot leave without it.”

“Damn it, Loki. I’m not kidding. We have sworn to protect the damn thing and I will drop you if you keep coming. Please don’t make me do this,” she asked.

He didn’t have time for their petty concerns. “Your fire won’t hurt me. I’ll simply shift forms,” he told her, preparing to do so.

“You don’t know everything I can do. I’m sorry, Loki. I love you, but I have to stop you.”

He smirked. How sweet, she actually thought she could stop…his eyes widened as he hit the ground, gasping for breath. A wave of anger, more powerful than he’d thought he could even imagine swept through him, immobilizing him with its intensity. Yes, he was angry at the delay, angry at the Chitauri’s masters, angry at Odin, but this?  This…was a lie. This…wasn’t real. He shook his head, resolutely pushing the false feelings away and dragged himself back to his feet. Kara’s faceplate was up and she was staring at him. “How did you do that?” he asked.

“I can do more, Loki. Stand down, please.”

“I cannot.” He took a few strides forward and found himself laughing. Doubling over with the strength of the absolute hilarity he felt, he found himself falling to the ground once more. This was so damned funny! The absolute ludicrousness of it all was amazing. He laughed, rolling on the ground until tears streamed down his face. Wait…what was funny? No…no, it was another lie! How in the nine? Shaking it off, he managed to stand again. “Interesting. But not enough to stop me, darling girl.”

“Don’t push me, I don’t want to hurt you,” she pleaded.

He smiled and took a step. The smile faltered as a wave of fear ran through him, giving him the chills. He looked around for the Other and his master. They weren’t there, but surely they were close by? They would kill him this time…he had no defense, he could not talk, he could not plead his case…wait, he could, there was no muzzle this time…this time? The fear intensified and he cried out in terror. “No, make it stop, I cannot…I will not betray them! No!” He could not betray them, not again, he’d rather die. He searched desperately for his tormentors…no, wait. There were no…another, another lie. It was another damned lie! How embarrassing, he was the god of Lies, damn it, a lie could not fell him. Loki struggled to stand and standing, took another step towards the figure that seemed enveloped by a golden metallic fire.

Kara. His Kara. Loki didn’t realize he was falling again until his knees hit the ground. She was his, she would always be his; joy filled him at the realization. Kara understood. Kara knew the monster and loved it…and he loved her. Bliss poured through him at the thought. It didn’t matter that she was mortal. It didn’t matter that she would age and…it mattered. It would always matter. The joy diminished as the realization that he could never truly have her as his own permeated his joy-addled mind. “Oh, sweet love. I cannot lose you,” he whispered.

… …

Tears were obscuring her vision. This was the worst thing she’d ever had to do. Ever. Loki was crawling back to his feet again. She didn’t understand how he was managing to punch through her projections so easily. No one she’d tested it on had ever been able to break through it on their own, they’d either pass out or she’d release the projection and use her energy healing to clear out the remains. He stared at her, his expression resolute. “No, Loki. Please stop. I don’t want to do this to you,” she sobbed.

“I’m sorry, Kara. I must have it.” She groaned at his words and hit him with the emotion she knew would likely cripple him as he’d barely pulled himself from the depths of the real thing. His lean features twisted into an expression of total despair as he fell to the ground once more. Long minutes passed as she continued to cry and amplify the emotion and force it into his energetic body. He was curled almost into a fetal position, tears running down his face, sobs wracking his body. She couldn’t take much more of watching this.

He shuddered, then coughed and rolled to his knees. Kara felt the energy hit a wall and disperse yet again. Amazing. How he’d broken out of it, she didn’t understand, but she was glad of it. Watching him suffer the weight of abject despair had been heartbreaking. “Oh, Loki, I’m so sorry. Please don’t make me do this anymore. Please, you have to stop,” she begged again.

“Hang in there kiddo, I’m almost there.” Fresh tears, this time of relief, welled up. Surely Loki would back down once Tony arrived. He had to.

She frowned as he started to lunge forward towards his goal and searched frantically for something else to throw at him so that she would not have to use her fire. Maybe…? Lust wasn’t an emotion, exactly, but it should work the same way, shouldn’t it? “Last chance, Loki. Please stop, we can talk about this.”

“No time, Kara. I must…” he broke off and hit his knees again. She gasped as he looked up at her from under his helmet, his eyes burning. “Oh, my lady. _That_ was a mistake.” Loki bounded to his feet and lunged forward again, sweeping her into his arms. His lips crushed hers as he took them in a searing kiss. “Oh, sweet Kara, how I have missed you,” he said, his voice sounding…tender.

“I don’t understand,” she whispered, touching his cheek. “That barely slowed you down.”

Loki chuckled. “Darling girl. Love will always overpower lust.” She frowned at him, totally confused. “Kara, I love you. Lust for you is always with me, but my love for you controls it.”

“You…oh, Loki.” She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her face into his chest. In her heightened state, she was wide open to everything he was feeling, and it was no lie. He did love her. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled.

“It’s all right, love. Now stand aside, I have to get the scepter.”

… …

“Let the woman go, or I’ll fire,” a vaguely familiar metallic edged voice commanded.

How tiresome. “Anthony, I’m not hurting her. I need the damned scepter.”

The billionaire landed his suit in front of them and flipped back his face plate. “What the hell happened to calling me Tony?” he asked.

Loki sighed. “You threatened me, it seemed appropriate.”

“Well, Christ, Ice Man. You come here, trying to take an artifact your brother insisted we protect, then you’ve got your hands all over my honorary sister, what the hell did you expect?”

“Don’t be more of an ass than you must, Stark. I need the bloody scepter. A gate has been opened in Asgard, Chitauri are pouring through, and it must be closed. The energy feels identical to that of the gate Selvig helped build, so the scepter should likely close it.”

“Loki!” Kara snapped at him. “Why didn’t you just _say_ that?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m in a damned hurry. Now give me the scepter, I must take it to Asgard.”

“Yeah, sorry, bud, but no can do,” Stark said.

“What? I see, you don’t trust me.”

“Loki, I trust you, but I can’t give it to you either. We and S.H.I.E.L.D. promised Thor we’d turn it over to no one but him. Why didn’t he come for it?”

“I-I don’t know. He never mentioned anything to me about such a promise. Damnation, that idiot. He’s in the front lines, battling the Chitauri. Odin is concentrating his power on holding them back, and I’m the only one who can travel between the realms without it.”

“Okay, now what do we do?” Stark asked.

Loki frowned as a door opened in the building and Rogers and Barton emerged. “The scepter’s going crazy,” Barton said. “You know anything about that?”

“Gods. It means the All-Father’s power is no longer sufficient to hold the gate to a minimal size. It must be opening larger which means they’ll be able to send their leviathans through now.” He looked at the Avengers speculatively. “Wait, you promised Thor you would not _give_ the scepter to anyone. Did you promise not to take it anywhere?”

Stark looked thoughtful. “Um, no. No, we didn’t.”

“Good. I can carry one of you, well, one of them,” he corrected, pointing at Barton and Rogers, “with me back to Asgard. You can keep your promise, and we can get the scepter where it needs to be to save the realm.”

“Why not me?” Stark and Kara asked in unison.

“He’s too heavy in his armor, and I am _not_ going to risk your life in that battle,” he told Kara. “You need to stay safe, I could not bear it were you to fall to those creatures.”

“Well, that’s very sweet, but I’m a hell of a lot deadlier than either Steve or Clint. Bruce isn’t here, or I’d say take him, so I’m the best choice.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Take all of them,” an annoyingly familiar voice suggested. He looked up as Nick Fury emerged from the building.

“I cannot, there is a limit to how much weight that my power can manage.”

“Not a problem. Dr. Foster can piggyback on the gate open in Asgard to open one here. If the scepter is going with them, she can send them and you, using your affinity to the place to draw you there. She won’t be able to bring anyone back, but when you win, your people can handle that, am I right?”

“ _If_ we win.”

“I’m willing to bet on the Avengers. They won’t let any of us down,” the one-eyed man said with a grim smile.


	28. Chapter 28

The U.S. military members on duty outside of the inner chambers that housed the gold reserves looked spooked as they hurried past them. Then they spotted Captain America bringing up the rear and saluted. Kara threw an amused glance over her shoulder as Steve straightened, returned the salute crisply, and said "As you were, soldiers." The six guards relaxed marginally.

Loki frowned at Steve as he caught up with them. "Only six?" he asked. "I was under the impression that this was supposed to be the most secure location on the planet."

Steve shrugged. "You missed all the troops we pulled back outside the walls for their own safety. We could have let them in quickly enough if we needed them. Plus S.H.I.E.L.D. had its best snipers on top of all of the walls, buildings and towers."

"Why did they not fire?"

"Kara was still standing and hadn't ordered it. They were told to leave any attacker to her unless she went down or they were ordered otherwise."

Loki reached out for her gloved hand and squeezed it firmly. "They think highly of your abilities."

"They're scared crapless of me," she corrected. "Especially since their bullets aren't going to slow me down long enough to not fight back in this armor. I'm not going to disabuse them of the notion that I'm totally badass."

He smiled. "You, my precious lady, _are_ totally badass, as you put it. I have never felt such power."

"Humph. It didn't slow you down much."

"No," he said with a smug smirk. "But I am the god of lies, my dear. And your power works on lying to your target about how they feel. It took a bit to sort out that it _was_ a lie each time, but once I had, it was relatively easy to break free. I'm impressed you were able to affect me at all. That tells me more than anything that you are a force to be reckoned with. None of the Æsir would be able to do as I did."

"That's true. I demonstrated the terror on Thor. He was begging me to make it stop in seconds."

Loki snickered. "Serves him right. He's always on about how fearless he is. Damn it, Kara, where the hell is the scepter? This is taking far too long."

"It's just around the next corner, don't get grumpy, we're almost there."

"My brother's people are fighting and perhaps dying as we dawdle. Forgive me if I sound _grumpy_."

"They're your people too…and don't start, please." She frowned up at him as he shook his head silently.

"Here we are," Nick Fury told them as he signaled to the S.H.I.E.L.D. guards to open the door to the chamber housing the scepter and Jane Foster's equipment. Jane and Erik Selvig looked up as they entered.

"We're ready to go," Jane told them. "Well, you're ready to go," she amended. "I just need you to stand over there. I recommend you all hold on to each other, and I'd prefer Steve hold on to the scepter, he's got the strongest grip out of our people barehanded. Those of you with gloves on, get them off. We need flesh on flesh contact to be absolutely sure no one gets lost."

"I don't need…" Loki began.

"I didn't say you needed it, but it's not going to be a guaranteed trip to Asgard if you're not linked into the group, so just deal with it if you want the damned scepter to go there," Jane snapped.

Kara bit back a grin as Loki subsided. "Fine." He looked down at her and took her hand once her gloves were tucked away. "Can we just get on with this?" Kara grabbed Steve's wrist with her free hand and watched as Tony and Clint joined hands with Clint taking hold of Steve's other wrist while Steve's hands gripped the scepter firmly.

"Okay, I'm going to release the containment field. Good luck!" Jane called as the world began to disappear in a flash of electric blue light.

… …

Loki staggered as the Bifröst appeared beneath them. Regaining his balance he looked around, noting that none of the mortals had been lost in the journey, thank the nine. He helped Kara to her feet, his poor lady looked quite pale. "That was awful," she managed, looking up at him.

"It was. Normal travel by the Bifröst is far less difficult." He glanced at the others. They were replacing their gloves. Stark had opened his visor and was gulping air.

"Okay, that was better than the freefall through the wormhole back to Earth," he said. "But it still was not fun."

"At least you're conscious this time," Rogers told him.

"There is that. Okay, boss. Where to?"

Loki blinked as he realized Stark was addressing him. He turned to point down the bridge. "The gate is open beyond the Valhöll," he told them. "Eh, the largest of the golden buildings," he clarified at their confused looks. "Kara, you and Barton come with me, with all of the energy flying about I'll be able to transport you both to a high point where you'll have a good line of sight on the enemy. Stark…Tony, take Captain Rogers and fly towards the battle, I'll meet you at the base of the Valhöll where we can strategize how to get the scepter to the gate."

"Roger that," Stark said, closing his visor. "Cap, hold on to the scepter and I'll grab you around your waist from behind. Just relax, I won't drop you."

"Wait," Rogers said. "We need to do a comm check." The man tapped the device like the ones they'd all put in their ears and ran lightly down the Bifröst a ways. "Hawkeye," Loki heard over the one in his own ear and then heard the archer respond. "Iron Man," was said before Stark responded. Roger's voicing of "Hellbringer," brought a response from Kara. "Loki."

"Yes, I hear you on the device," he confirmed.

"Great. Iron Man, fly on by and pick me up."

"Hey, soldier, you come here often?" Stark said as he flew towards Rogers.

"You're a laugh a minute," Rogers groused.

Loki turned to the others. "Kara, Barton, both of you step in close. The cliff ledge I'm taking you too is deep enough to be safe but it's not excessively wide." He wrapped an arm around each of their waists and repressed a sigh as Barton stiffened. "My apologies, but I must hold on to you securely lest I lose you in transport."

"Yeah, fine, just do it," the archer muttered.

He smiled down reassuringly at Kara's visor, then concentrated and let the power flow through him. A moment later he felt the ledge beneath him. "Barton, step backwards carefully, you are too close to the edge, I've still got you." Barton took his advice and then looked around. "Kara, you are on the inside, step to your right, please." He looked back at Barton who was peering out over the battlefield.

"Holy shit, it's worse than New York," the man muttered.

"Yes, I'd had Selvig limit the power flow on the gate there. It couldn't get any bigger than it did. Unfortunately whoever is helping the enemy here showed no such restraint."

"Shit, you really were trying to minimize the damage," Barton said.

He shrugged. "Are you both close enough to reach your targets?"

"I am," Kara said. "If I can see it, and it's flammable, I can make it burn."

Barton frowned. "Yeah, I'm at the outside of my range, but I can manage. I don't have a hell of a lot of ammo, though."

Loki looked down at the full quiver. "Let's do something about that, then." He held a hand over one of the arrows experimentally. A wave of power flowed and with his second sight he could see it settle in that section of the quiver. "Pull that arrow," he directed. Barton did as instructed and an identical arrow replaced the one that had been removed. "Excellent. Let me do the others."

"Wait, Loki. Clint, get your specialty arrowheads for this kind of fight on some of the other arrows. If Loki's magic is duplicating them, you want the best selection possible."

Loki frowned as Barton opened a compartment on the side and pulled out five arrowheads and replaced the standard heads of five of the arrows, stowing the standard heads back in the compartment. "Okay, that's about the best selection in the main quiver now," the mortal said.

"I'll make that compartment do the same," Loki told them as he held his hands over the entire quiver and concentrated fiercely. The power built up swiftly this time, now that he knew what he was doing with it, and settled into the different sections. "There. You should now be able to pull up to a dozen of each arrow. The spare arrowheads should also replace themselves eleven times for a total of one dozen each. Use them wisely."

"Cool, Clint, you've got something out of an awesome RPG there," Kara enthused.

"RPG?" Loki asked as the archer grunted agreement. "Never mind. Barton. I'm counting on you to watch her back," he said, looking the other man deep in the eyes. "Kara is more important to me than life itself. I am entrusting you with her safety. I-I don't know if I could stand having anything happen to her, do you understand?"

"Yeah. I've got it, no pressure. Protect Dr. G or you'll go crazy on my ass."

He ignored Kara's fierce frown. "No, protect her because she is a treasure who deserves to be protected. If you fail, well, I've failed often enough over the past few months that I cannot hold it against you. I'm simply begging you to do all within your power to keep her safe."

Barton swallowed. "Okay, I won't let either of you down."

"Thank you." He turned to his now glaring lady. "I know, you can protect yourself. But you haven't faced this enemy before. They don't have emotions, they can't feel anything but hunger. If your fire doesn't fell them you are defenseless. Don't try to take on the leviathans, they are definitely fire resistant, confine your attacks to the individual Chitauri or to anyone that seems to be aiding them." He stared out over the battlefield and laughed bitterly. "Oh, of course." He pointed out several dark figures. "The Svartálfar, the dark elves," he explained. "They've long been struggling against the truce between the realms. They've brought the true enemy here. If the Chitauri don't burn, they most certainly will."

"I'll go for them first. They've likely got control of the actual gate."

"Good. Stay safe, my love." Loki stepped back and frowned as Kara grabbed the leather of his armor. His automatic protest was cut short by her fierce kiss. Shuddering, he returned it quickly, then set her aside.

"Don't get your ass killed," she told him with a glare. "If you do, I'll find some damn way to resurrect you and then kill you myself."

He laughed at her claim, then sobered. "I swear, Kara, I will do everything I can to come back safely to you." Loki touched her face one last time then used his power to join Stark and Rogers.

… …

"Christ, looks like The SCA meets Star Wars or something," Tony grumbled as he stared out at the battlefield. "Only with more blood and guts."

"War is always full of blood and guts, Tony," Cap told him quietly. "Even if we don't always see it." Ever the soldier, Rogers stood at attention as he surveyed the fighting. He lifted his free arm and pointed. "There, the concentration of fighting…and there's three distinct groups. The Chitauri, some kind of pointy-eared dark skinned people, and the Asgardians. "I'll bet the device controlling the gate is either in the middle of that or just beyond it."

"You are correct, captain," Loki's voice said from behind them. "The third group are Svartálfar and are also our enemies."

Tony whirled and clapped a hand to his arc reactor. "Damn it, Lokes, give us a warning next time. If I didn't have this giant substitute for a pacemaker, I'd have had a heart attack."

"It does not handle the function of one of your human heart managing devices…does it?"

"No, but shit, you still, oh never mind. What's the plan, other than the obvious?"

Loki frowned at them. "Perhaps, Stark, you could take point, try to clear a path for us. I'll shadow Rogers, keep the worst of the fight off of him as we push our way through to the device."

"I don't need your coddling, Loki."

"You're the most vulnerable of the three of us, Rogers, don't be a fool. I fully expect you to take down your share of opponents, but despite your augmentation, you are a mortal with little armor. I'd rather not have to explain to my lady that I let you get killed."

"Don't suppose you guys have the equivalent of a nuke here," Tony asked. "I could just stuff it down their throats like last…uh, that would be a no," he finished, noting Loki's annoyed expression.

"Okay, let's do this, men," Cap said firmly and took off running toward the battle.

"Insolent mortal," Loki yelled. "Wait to have the path at least somewhat cleared, you fool!"

"Guess that's my cue to take off. Jarvis, are you by any chance with me?" Tony asked the AI, not really expecting an answer.

"Yes, Anthony," the AI responded. Tony winced as he realized he'd used a snarky nickname for Loki back at Fort Knox. "I downloaded an abbreviated version of myself before we traveled through the wormhole. Research capacity is limited, but all computational capacity is at full."

"Coolness. How's the power?"

"Power is currently at one hundred and twenty-five percent. Power increased when we landed on the Bifröst, the reason for this is unknown."

"Nice. And if we run low and we can find Thor, maybe he can charge us up." He began targeting and firing upon Chitauri and the Svartálfar in Loki and Steve's path.

"That would be exceeding dangerous, Anthony. I would advise against it."

"Any more dangerous than running out of juice in the middle of a battle on an alien world, J?"

"Good point, sir."

"You bet your ass it's a good point. Okay, Jarvis, get a bead on the energy from the device holding open the gate, and then compute the best path through this mess to reach it."

… …

Kara grimaced as one of the Svartálfar burst into flame. She consoled herself with the fact that it was war, they were trying and succeeding in a few cases already, to kill the legal residents of this world, and that things would go south for her own world if the bastards won here. She concentrated to build enough heat in a new target to combust it internally…she refused to think of them as 'him' or 'her', that way lay madness.

"I'm not gonna be much help with the Svartálfar, doc. They're moving between the Asgardians and visa-versa too quickly for me to be sure of my target. I'll target the Chitauri that are airborne, take them out of play," Clint told her.

"Sounds good," she replied. "Once I've had my target in sight, they can duck all they want, I've got hold of them energetically and there's no hiding, so I'll concentrate on the ground troops."

"Roger that," he said as he let an arrow fly and not one, not two, but three groups of Chitauri riding some kind of flying sleds were knocked out of the air as the one that Hawkeye hit exploded with the arrow and careened into the others. Unfortunately, that meant the five surviving aliens were now on the ground and clambering to their feet.

"No time like the present to find out if they burn," she muttered, concentrating on the one closest to an Asgardian warrior. In a few short moments, the bastard burst into a very satisfying ball of flame. "Score!" she yelled, pumping a fist in the air. "Did you see that Clint? Not only are the bastards flammable, they're excessively so!"

Clint laughed at her enthusiasm, "Damn good work, doc. Try and get them when they're bunched up, the one that combusts might catch some of the others on fire."

"Damn, didn't even think about that, thanks!" Kara scanned the battlefield and found a small cluster of Chitauri facing off against a wall of Æsir warriors. Eying the one in the center, she focused her concentration…just a moment more…YES! The target burst into flame and the fire quickly spread to its two closest companions. Their opponents appeared stunned for a moment, then raised their weapons in what looked like a cheer and surged forward. "Coolness," she smirked.

A flurry of action around a golden armored one-eyed figure with flowing white hair and a grizzled beard caught her attention. Several Asgardians, some obviously Æsir, some that appeared to be something else, rushed to the man's aid, but were themselves quickly engaged by more of the enemy. For an old guy, he was really kicking ass, sometimes with the actual blade of the huge spear he carried, and sometimes with magic. Odin; the old man had to be the son of a bitch that had screwed over her Loki. Speaking of that silver-tongued devil, there he was, bodily grabbing a dark elf who was about to attack the All-Father from behind and slamming it down across his raised knee to stun it, and then slicing its throat open with a long bladed knife.

… …

Odin looked over his shoulder as one of the enemy disappeared. His estranged son was finishing the forsworn Svartálfar; Loki was armed with naught but his favored knives. "Were you not able to retrieve the scepter?" he asked as the boy reached his side.

"Your son made the mortals promise to give it to no one but him," Loki spat.

"So we are lost."

"No, All-Father. The power of the gate opened here caused a connection to the scepter. The human scientist beloved by Thor was able to use it to open an ancillary gate there. Several of the Avengers have travelled through it and have brought the scepter with them so that the gate may be closed, yet they not break their word." Loki gutted another attacker and leaned in and pointed to where a metal clad being flew ahead, blasting aside the enemy and a blue clad man fought his way forward on foot, swinging the scepter and a round shield with equal fierceness. "There are two more on the cliff, attacking from…" his adopted son paused as a Chitauri headed straight for them burst into flames, seemingly from within. The enemies on either side were engulfed in the small conflagration. Loki laughed. "And there goes my lady's work now!"

Odin nodded as he thrust Gungnir through the heart of an enemy. "Impressive. This is the healer, Kara?" he asked.

"Yes, old man, so watch your step with her."

He smiled. Loki hadn't lost his attitude toward him, but that was to be expected. "I shall, son. Go, help your friends reach the gate, we'll hold the others from the city." Odin turned back to the battle as Loki sneered at him and bounded after the mortal carrying the scepter.

… …

Steve was getting the hang of using the bladed weapon. It wasn't that different from a bayonet, though he'd used one of those only rarely in Germany. The Chitauri went down best from a sweeping strike that pulled their innards out. The dark elves, the Svartal-something or other didn't stay down unless he stabbed through an eye and into their brain and twisted. He risked a quick glance over a shoulder. Loki was headed back toward him after reporting to Odin. Steve heard more than saw a Chitauri fire its weapon his way and raised his shield to deflect the blast back into the mass of enemies. "Excellent strategy, captain!" he heard Thor bellow.

"Thanks, hey, can I give this thing to Loki if he can get in to the gate faster without me?" he shouted back, raising the scepter.

Thor frowned at him. "Of course, why ever not?"

"Uh, you told us not to give it to anyone but you!"

"Ah, but things have changed my friend. Do whatever is necessary, I trust your judgment!" The god swung Mjölnir to clear a path and surged forward into the fray.

"Stark's right," Steve muttered to himself. "Thor is thick-headed."

"Glad to hear I'm not alone in that opinion," Loki laughed from behind him. "What are you waiting for, Rogers? Forward!"

Steve rolled his eyes and moved into the path just cleared by Stark. The gap closed too soon and they were reduced to fighting back to back. He sidestepped quickly as several Chitauri on a flying sled shot their weapons at them nimbly avoiding one blast. The next slammed into his shield before he could brace for it and the impact sent him flying to the side. He managed to roll out of the way of a spear wielded by one of the elves, but another slammed the base of another long poled weapon straight down with a force even his augmented muscle and bone could not resist. "Loki!" he yelled as he felt his femur snap.

… …

"Oh, shit, Cap's down, Cap's down!" Clint yelled over the comm.

Kara turned to look for them and targeted the Svartálfar that was swinging the blade of a halberd down toward Steve's chest. The dark-skinned enemy combusted and the great weapon dropped to the ground harmlessly. "Steve, how bad are you hurt?" she asked.

Loki was bending over him, using Steve's shield as cover. "His leg is broken badly, I'm not going to be able to heal it enough for him to continue. I'll get him out of the middle of the battle. Stark, where are you? Stark!"

There was no answer. Kara looked across the field and didn't see the red and gold armored figure. "Clint? do you see him?"

"He was heading down the throat of a leviathan a minute ago."

She looked back for Loki, but he and Steve were gone. Loki's voice sounded in her ear. "Got him to the rear of the action. Rogers, we'll have to wait for Stark to take the scepter."

"No need," Steve's voice said. "Ran into Thor," he gasped, sounding pained. "Take it and get that damned thing closed."

Kara's eyebrow rose at the sound of Steve cussing, then she grinned. Loki was going to get a chance to be Asgard's hero. "I will. Stay safe, captain," she heard Loki say.

"Steve, where are you?" she asked.

"Near a wall, back by that that big gold Valhöll place. I'm out of the way, don't worry about me."

"Got it, uh, Hellbringer out…is that what I'm supposed to say?'

Clint gave her a disgusted look and Steve laughed weakly over the unit. "Yes, ma'am. You've got it. Captain America out for now."

… …

Loki shifted himself as close to the gate as its energies would allow…which unfortunately, was not that close. He was elated. After so many failures, he would be the one to close the gate and save the Realm Eternal. He would do something that Thor could not…finally. After reconfiguring the scepter to its spear configuration, he advanced on foot, swinging it with viscous abandon, taking down each foe that dared to come within his reach. He used his magic to repel enemies that tried to attack from behind and found he was making steady but maddeningly slow progress. A roar to his left caught his attention. "Thor," he gasped in horror as he saw Mjölnir tumble to the ground as his brother was buried under dozens of Svartálfar all employing magic to keep the god of Thunder down and separated from his weapon.

He looked toward the open gate and back to his brother. He could not close the gate and save Thor. Sif pushed past him with Hogun and Fandral in tow, headed for his buried brother. "Get the gate closed and make yourself useful for once," she snarled at him.

Loki swallowed and made a decision he felt sure he'd regret. "No, wait!" he yelled. "They're using magic to contain him. You can't help." He frowned at the anger on the woman's face. "Take the scepter," he said, thrusting it into Sif's hands. "The three of you can make it to the gate, you need only get the jewel in the stream of energy to close it." Volstagg caught up with them as he spoke. "Volstagg, come with me, your great strength will be needed to clear the enemy off of my brother once I break their magic."

"You heard him, go!" Sif shouted at the others, surprising him. "This had better not be a trick, lie-smith," she hissed quietly.

"No trick. I-I will not see him die." Sif nodded and lead the others off. He turned to Volstagg. "I know you have no love of me, but…"

"No great hate of you, either; let us save Thor," the corpulent warrior boomed.

Loki grinned. "Indeed." He hefted the sword Sif had thrust into his hands. It wasn't his favorite weapon, but it would decapitate a Svartálfar mage handily.


	29. Chapter 29

Clint cursed as his arrow exploded harmlessly above the group of Svartálfar that had surrounded the god of Thunder. “Shit, doc, my arrows can’t touch them,” he yelled.

She turned back from where she’d been frying enemies in Loki’s path. “What’s up with that?”

“Thor’s under there, he lost his hammer!”

“Shit.” He grinned when he heard the curse fall from her lips. Her face frowned in concentration and she gasped. “God damn it all to hell! Nothing’s happening.”

“Some kind of shielding?” he guessed.

“Yeah, but…oh, no. Oh, Loki.”

He followed her line of sight and saw the green and gold clad pain in the ass charging toward the pile up followed by a hugely overfed man with a beard that was bigger than his face. Loki no longer had the spear and his mike was off, but was shouting something and pointing at the mound of dark elves. A greenish haze formed around the group and seemed to stick to something invisible. “I think he’s using some kind of magic on them, he’s fine.”

“Yes, but he had the chance to be the hero and save Asgard, and he gave it up to try to save Thor.”

“Well, shit.” Clint looked back toward the gate. An armored Amazon of a woman was now carrying the scepter. Somehow it had that longer spear handle on it now. The other Asgardians that had visited their tower were flanking her. “Some of the others are heading for the gate, they’ll still get it shut.”

“You don’t understand, Clint,” Dr. G said with a sob in her voice. “They would have _had_ to release him if he were their hero. Now, now they might just blame him for all of this…oh God.”

He turned to stare at her as she turned her attention to clearing enemies between the downed god of Thunder and the advance of Loki and the huge warrior accompanying him. “He…he gave that chance up?” he said, shocked at the realization.

“Yeah. He gave it up for the brother he barely acknowledges.”

… …

Swinging his greatsword to devastating effect against the enemy, Heimdall shouted: “My liege, Thor is down!”

“I know it,” the All-Father replied as he braced himself and thrust Gungnir into the belly of a leviathan. The Uru spear tore a gaping fissure in the beast’s underside and slime along with an unholy meld of fleshy and mechanized parts began to fall from it. He nodded, satisfied that the construct would crash and ‘die’ and looked toward the gate. Loki was no longer headed toward it, though he’d been charging in that direction scant moments ago after the blue-clad mortal was stricken down and taken to safety. “Where is Loki?” he wondered aloud as he slashed Gungnir through a Svartálfar warrior, cleaving him in two at the mid-section.

“Headed for Thor,” Heimdall returned. “Volstagg accompanies him.”

He’d decided to recall the powerful gatekeeper from the Bifröst. His all-seeing eyes were more than valuable in battle, and with a gate open in the middle of Asgard, the likelihood of anyone attempting to enter via an only partially repaired bridge was small. Having the dark warrior at his side enabled him to keep track of all aspects of the battle at once. Odin disemboweled another enemy, one of the Chitauri this time, while he looked for Loki. His adopted son was carrying Sif’s sword, by the look of it, and was wielding magic so powerful it glowed to the naked eye. If Loki had Sif’s weapon…he spotted the greatest of their women warriors close to the gate. She now bore the scepter and had the other two of Thor’s friends assisting her in reaching her goal. “Interesting,” he mused, brushing aside a magical attack and returning one of his own.

“He chose to save Thor, my king. That is…significant,” Heimdall rumbled, using his foot to push two skewered Chitauri off of his greatsword.  

Odin smiled. “So it is. Perhaps his fiery-tempered Midgardian has healed more than she knows.”

… …

Tony hooted in triumph as he burst through the gut of a second leviathan. The half-tech and half-flesh construct hurtled to the ground. “Oh shit, that’s not good,” he muttered as he saw it heading right towards the defending army. “Iron Man to the rescue!” he crowed, totally ignoring the fact that it was his handiwork that endangered them. He hit the side of the leviathan at full speed, changing the direction of its fall. It plowed into the ground just past the struggling masses of warriors and he twisted into a graceful curve to return to the battle.

“Iron Man, where the hell have you been?” Hawkeye snapped over the comm unit.

“In the bellies of space whales, Hawk, where else?”

“Loki needs backup, Thor is down, Cap is out of play.”

Shit, go incommunicado for a minute and everything goes to hell. He looked around. Loki and some mountain of a warrior were at the perimeter of a large number of the Svartálfar. A green mist was settling into a shape that looked like a bubble surrounding their target. In the middle of it, he could see Thor, on his back and looking groggy, with a butt-ugly being that was not Chitauri, Svartálfar or anything else he’d ever seen standing over him with a spear, grinning demonically. That couldn’t be good. “I see it.”

He shifted position mid-air and hovered, sending a blast against the bubble. It bounced off and the whole damn thing lit up like a green Christmas bulb and caught the attention of his ugliness. “Stark, watch it,” he heard Loki say over the comm. “He can send power directly into your head.”

“What can I do to help?”

“Be ready when the magic falls…the field they’ve generated will disintegrate and the green mist will fall directly down on the enemy. Then you are clear to attack. Meanwhile, back off lest The Other target you!”

“Got it.” He pulled back and hovered, checking out the rest of the battle. “Oh, who are you, gorgeous?” he muttered as he saw a tall woman rushing towards the gate with the Hardy Boys.

“Seriously, Tony? What would Pepper think?” Loki’s snide tone broke through his admiring daze.

“Hey, I’m committed, not blind!” Tony grinned as Loki snickered. “Okay, let’s see what we can do to clear them a path, Jarvis.”

“Of course Anthony. May I suggest using the energy canon, targeting…there,” his trusty AI told him as a targeting grid was displayed.

“Firing now; woo, doggy!” he shouted gleefully as the beam struck a sled and it careened into a wave of Chitauri already on the ground. “Nice one, J!”

“I exist to serve, Anthony.”

“Shit, Loki, if we get out of this you are going to fix Jarvis or else.”

“Idle threats do not concern me. I’ve almost got this field down. Can you see Thor?”

Tony spun in mid-air after clearing out another group of the enemy near the gate. “Yeah, he doesn’t look too good. Shit. Hurry! That demonic bastard just used a spear on him and it actually penetrated.” Tony gulped as he heard Loki howl incoherently over the comm. Energy crackled through the air and the green mist all but solidified. This was not looking good.

… …

Loki gathered his energy and threw it into the counter-spell. They could not be too late, he would not lose his brother, the only member of his so-called family that had never lied to him. The field started to fall, but there were nearly two dozen enemies between him and The Other. He charged forward, swinging the long sword. It clashed against the battleaxe wielded by a Svartálfar, the bastard twisted his weapon and the sword’s blade broke. He grimaced and tossed it aside. “Never did like swords,” he muttered. Unfortunately his knives were not good for this type of melee and he’d seriously drained himself of magic. “Stark, it’s down, get back here!” he called into the comm’s mike.

“On my way, Lokes.”

Nearly tripping over a grounded Mjölnir, he cursed in several languages. If only he could use the damn thing. He saw The Other raise his spear and bring it down hard again. “No!” he screamed. “Just this once, please,” he begged under his breath as he regained his balance and laid a hand on the leather wrapped handle. “I swear, I’ll use it only to save Thor and then return it to him.” Loki blinked in shock as the hammer moved and he gasped as it lifted. “Thank the gods.”

Volstagg was swinging his four bladed war axe and taking down Svartálfar and Chitauri with equal gusto. The corpulent warrior’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head when Loki launched himself forward, Mjölnir firmly in hand. “By Odin’s beard, Loki!” the man shouted. “What miracle have you wrought?”

Loki ignored him, concentrating on reaching The Other before he brought that spear down in Thor’s mid-section yet again. Their foes were falling like so much rotten timber as he struck left and right with his brother’s rightful weapon. “You know I’m taking you to Thor, do you not?” he muttered as though the Uru hammer could hear him. He grinned. For all he knew, Odin’s magic may have made the thing able to do so. Svartálfar were bursting into flame around him and he grinned as The Other staggered several paces to the side after being hit by one of Barton’s explosive arrowheads. Finally, his path was clear and his fallen brother was before him.

“Dark Prince,” The Other hissed menacingly. “I did not expect you to live.”

Laughing, Loki approached warily. “I do what I want; after all your efforts to control me, to make me your tool, I would have thought you understood that much.”

“Perhaps my information was faulty. The meng mein is not your vulnerable point?” the alien continued, lifting the spear as he closed back in on Thor.

“You forgot one thing, fool,” Loki baited him in an effort to draw him away from Thor’s broken form. “I’m not Æsir.”

The Other snarled. “You will still beg for death!”

“Loki,” he heard Stark’s voice in the ear device. “What do you think will happen if we slam that chump between that hammer and Cap’s shield?” He nodded silent agreement, not wanting to alert the enemy to their plan. “Cool deal. I’m on my way in…watch for me.”

“I will beg favors from only one being in this life. And you are not that being,” he said, smirking. He could see the unmistakable round shield being flown in at full speed, directly toward The Other’s back. “I’d offer you the same threat, but there won’t be enough left of you to beg for anything.” He planted his feet firmly and began the arc that would bring Mjölnir in directly on The Other’s midsection. “There won’t be enough left of you for your Master to even hazard a guess as to what caused your demise.”

“You think an Uru Hammer can finish me? You are a greater fool than I…”

… …

Kara was concentrating on igniting yet another Svartálfar when a tremendous explosion rocked the battlefield. Only Clint’s quick grab saved her from a painful tumble off of the cliff side. “What the hell happened?” she gasped as she landed in his lap several feet back from the edge.

“Dunno,” Clint said, breathing hard from the exertion. “Loki was swinging Thor’s hammer, Stark was flying in with Cap’s shield and then the world went crazy.”

“Holy crap.” She peered through the desolation and blinked as she realized that the gate had closed. “Wait, when did the gate close?”

“Just before the kaboom.” He stood up and helped her to her feet. They stared out over the plain. Asgardian warriors were climbing to their feet. The surviving Svartálfar were scrambling to theirs and running like the hounds of hell were after them.

Kara smirked. “Oh dear. I don’t think there’s any place for them to run.”

“Didn’t Hogun and Fandral travel to us on the Bifröst?” Clint asked.

“Yes, but it was only partially repaired. Besides, they’ve got an awful lot of pissed off Æsir between them and it. If they have any brains at all they’ll throw down their weapons and beg…oh crap.” She hit her comm unit. “Tony, where are you?” Thor was lying motionless on the battlefield and his midsection was a bloody mess.

“Lying flat on my ass, trying to get functional again, that was a hell of a ride,” he said.

“Shit. Clint, do you have any of those rappelling arrows? I need to get down there, pronto.”

“Yeah, doc, I’m on it.” Hawkeye stood near the edge to find a target while changing arrowheads and attaching the rappelling line. “Okay, got a spot.” He took the shot and then looked around the ledge. She watched as he wound his end of the line several times around a sturdy rock formation and then tied it off in what looked to her to be some kind of marine knot. He pulled a small device out of the bottom of his quiver and hooked it over the line. “Okay, doc. Arms around my neck, lay against my back, and when I say let go, do it and flex your knees and be prepared to roll so you won’t hurt yourself when you land.”

“Oh man, I don’t like this.”

“You don’t have to do it, it’s your call.”

“Yes, I do.” She wrapped her arms around his neck as he instructed. Fortunately, Clint wasn’t as tall as some of the other Avengers, so he only had to crouch a bit for her to get a firm hold. After testing her grip, he launched himself over the ledge. She held her breath to avoid screaming in his ear as the shock of being midair hit.

“Let go!” he yelled.

Kara loosed her grip and saw the ground approach rapidly. Flexing her knees may have helped, she wasn’t sure, but she still hit hard before she rolled. “Oh God, that hurt,” she moaned as she rolled to her knees and then staggered to her feet.

… …

Loki lifted his head and groaned. Everything hurt; everything. But, he wasn’t dead. He looked up. Thor. No. Staggering to his feet he looked around. “Damnation,” he muttered as he realized the impact had sent him flying several hundred meters. Mjölnir was still in his grip, but the hammer would no longer budge. “Fine, you did what was needed. I’ll bring Thor to you…if he lives,” he managed as his voice broke. A figure in gold shimmering scale armor chased with reds and oranges was picking her way through body parts. Kara. She was making her way to a small cleared area occupied by a prone body. Thor. As he determined everything was in working order, he began to run.

Kara reached his brother first and dropped her gauntlets on the ground and held her hands above Thor’s meng mein. “Crap,” she said distinctly. “Any Æsir out there, I need a volunteer, I need to do an energy transfer if you want your Prince to live,” she yelled. He picked up his half stumbling pace and reached them before most of the warriors sprawled about had managed to climb to their feet.

“You were supposed to stay on the cliff where it was safe,” he told her as he dropped to his knees on his brother’s other side.

“Your brother wasn’t supposed to get his meng mein trashed. And after what you gave up to save him, I wasn’t about to sit up there in safety and freaking Let. Him. Die.,” she snapped.

“Hmm, you saw that, did you?” Loki shook his head. “Well, I’m here, is this energy transfer thing what you and he did to save me?” She nodded. “Then it seems only right that you use my energy to save him.”

“Fine, but lay down, it will hurt like you’re being eviscerated,” she warned.

“Been there, had that done to me, but no one gave me the tee shirt,” he quipped as he stretched out and turned his face toward Thor’s. “Hurry, love. His breathing is all but stopped.”

“I’m hurrying, I…”

“Doc, what can I do to help?” Barton asked as he dropped down on his knees beside Kara.

“Oh, good. Clint, get your hands in here. See that mess? It’s supposed to be all in one piece. Slip your hands around it and hold it together.” She frowned at the archer as his face twisted in revulsion. “Yes, I know, totally gross. This is why I didn’t go to med school. Suck it up and deal.”

“Yeah, sure. It’s just a little blood…and guts. Geez, literally guts. Shit, I usually do my killing from a distance, this, damn.” The mortal’s complexion was turning distinctly gray.

“If you must get sick, Barton, please do your best to turn away from my brother’s wounds,” he asked drily.

“Don’t see you doing this,” Barton snapped.

“Hush, both of you. He can’t, Clint. Loki is going to be in too much pain in just a second.”

The promised pain began as he felt a pull on his energy from the hand she’d laid on his abdomen after shifting to kneel between him and Thor. He hissed as the sharp tearing sensation grew and then exploded into hideous agony. Is this what Thor had endured for him? No wonder his lady had been angry with the way he’d treated his brother. “Is it…helping?” he managed.

“Yes, I can see it starting to knit together, hang in there, just a little bit more,” she promised.

He stared at Thor’s too still face, willing him to take a deeper breath, to blink, something to show he was no longer so close to death. Finally, his patience was rewarded as his brother moaned. “Did you hear that?” he asked.

“I heard it,” she told him with a small smile. “And the meng mein is almost…” he heard no more as the pain overwhelmed him.

… …

…”whole again,” she told Loki, then frowned. “Loki? Oh crap, he passed out. I was afraid of that.”

“Don’t look now,” Clint murmured. “Here comes daddy dearest.”

“Lovely, just when I’ve got two unconscious Princes of Asgard on my hands. This is not going to endear me to the man.”

“Shit, doc. You’ve saved both their lives, he can just get the fuck over it.”

“Get over what, young man?” the imposing one-eyed figure clad in gold armor asked.

“Uh, nothing, sir,” Clint managed to say crisply.

She looked the King of Asgard up and down and then glanced at a grim looking dark-skinned man, also armored in gold, standing behind Odin with hands resting on the grip of a huge by any standards sword. The dark bearded man’s eyes looked…odd. They were an almost shimmering gold and didn’t seem to focus on any one thing, though she had the feeling that he saw not only her but…oh. “Heimdall, I presume?” she asked quietly.

The all-seeing god nodded. “Kara Gunnarssen, known as Hellbringer,” he spoke with a voice that sounded like a small earthquake. “Well met.”

“Likewise, I’m sure,” she said, doing her best not to shake in fear. Kara looked down at the brothers and then up at their father. “They’ll be fine, your Majesty,” she told him. “Thor is healing quickly now that we’ve got his meng mein repaired. Loki is just unconscious because he donated energy to heal his brother.” She winced. “It’s a rather painful process. Thor passed out when he donated energy to save Loki, so we were expecting it.”

The king nodded and his lips twitched a bit and his sole visible eye crinkled. “I thank you, healer,” he said. “I feared I would lose one or both of them this day.”

“It was a near thing, If Loki hadn’t taken out that son of a bitch alien when he did, it would have turned out very differently. From his description while he was waiting to be recalled here, I think that was the same one that tortured him.”

“Thor told me of the extent of Loki’s injuries. Asgard could not have saved him.”

“Humph. Then it’s a damn good thing he came to Earth when he escaped instead of here.”She glared down at the ground, trying to take a firmer hold on her temper, not to mention her tongue. Just seeing these damn people up close was pissing her off.

“So, my lady. Need I fear your wrath while you abide in my realm?” Odin asked.

Oh. Crap. Yep, he hadn’t forgotten. “No, I believe my warning applied only if you came to Earth.” The damn man started laughing. Oh for pity’s sake. Heimdall was chuckling as well. She ground her teeth in frustration at the condescending sound. “I’m still not happy with you, any of you. But it would be a terrible abuse of hospitality for me to do anything about it here,” she snapped.

“Kara, must you?” Loki groaned.

She quickly leaned over him and checked his energy levels. “You’re almost back to normal, thank God.” Looking up at the others she said, “Figure of speech. It’s something we’re raised saying, it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Of course not, my lady,” Odin said, still smiling.

Loki was shaking his head. “How long was I out?” he asked.

“Only a few minutes. You didn’t miss anything.”

… …

He snorted. “No, just you doing your best to ruin any chance you might have…” he trailed off and eyed the All-Father. “Never mind.” He pushed himself up to a sitting position and turned to look at Thor. “How is he?”

“Improving,” Kara told him. She leaned over and pulled the ruined armor away from his brother’s abdomen. “Even the muscle and skin are starting to come together a bit. I know you said that’s not normal, it’s too fast, but I think it’s a direct result of the energy transference.”

“Likely so,” he agreed.

“You’re going to have a matching set of scars.”

He looked down at his own stomach. “So we are. It matters not. He’s alive and I am glad of it. If he had not survived I would have borne the blame for that as well.”

“No, Loki,” Odin said. “This is not on your head.”

“Tell that to the Tribunal, All-Father,” he spat. “It is all my fault and you know it. Had I never been thrown…” His eyes closed as he remembered what Kara had told him. “If I had never…fallen into the Void, none of this would ever have happened. There is no one else _to_ blame.” He glanced sharply at Kara who was frowning fiercely. “Do not start, love,” he said, hoping to forestall a rant about the treatment he’d received from his ‘family’. “Please.” He let out a relieved huff as she subsided.

He looked up again as Odin took a knee beside them. “I think there is much blame to go around and many to whom it should spread. But for now, we will see to our wounded, and find a way to thank your friends for their timely assistance, hmm?”

“Yes, my liege,” he managed tiredly.

… …

Tony trudged toward the gold-armored figures in the middle of the battlefield. His power levels were down to fifteen percent so he’d flipped up his face plate and shut down all systems not involved with walking and was making his way on foot. With the damage Thor had taken, he seriously doubted he’d get juiced up that way. “Hey, Fandral, what’s shaking?” he asked as the dandified Asgardian…oops, Æsir, looked at him as he stopped beside him and Hogun…and the Amazonian beauty.

“The ground has stopped shaking, Stark,” he said, sounding confused.

“Heh, yeah. Sure as hell didn’t expect that. Though I guess I should have. Last time that hammer hit Cap’s shield the concussive wave took out a good part of a forest. Oh well, all the better to kill homicidal demonic things with. So, you going to introduce me to your friend?” he said, nodding toward the woman.

Fandral frowned. “Oh, of course, my apologies.” He turned to the black-haired beauty. “Lady Sif, may I present Tony Stark, the Man of Iron, one of the Avengers and a good friend of Thor.” Turning back to him, Fandral continued. “Tony Stark, may I present one of Asgard’s finest warriors, the Lady Sif.”

“Charmed, totally,” Tony said, holding out an armored hand. The woman looked at it like it was something disgusting. He decided to blame it on cultural differences. “Uh, in my world, when two people who are allies meet for the first time, they touch hands to show they are allies and not enemies,” he told her.

“I know the custom,” she said. “However, the intent is for the hand to be empty of weapons. You have used that armor as a weapon to great effect.”

He winced. “Right. Sorry. It’s a total pain in the…uh, it’s really difficult to get on and off when the suit’s power levels are so low. I’ll take a rain check on that, ‘kay?”  She frowned at him. “Ah, never mind. Modern colloquialism. I’ll just go check on Thor and Loki.” He sighed and continued on to the center of the battlefield.

“Stark!” he heard a voice call. “Tony!” He stopped and saw Cap coming through the mess on the ground using some kind of kinky looking crutches. His leg was strapped into some kind of leather-look cast. Interesting.

“Very good look for you, gimpy,” he teased. “I knew you were a BDSM kind of guy.”

“BD what?” Steve asked.

“Heh, never mind. I take it you’ve had the leg worked on.”

“Yes, Loki’s mom and one of the other healers came for me. The bone’s set and everything, I just need to keep my weight off of it for a few days.”

“Not too shabby. I was heading over to see if Thor made it. Or Loki for that matter, he went flying when the irresistible force met your immovable object.”

“Huh?”

Tony sighed. “When your shield hit Thor’s hammer with the bad guy in between.”

“Oh. Right. That must have been a mess.”

Holding up the gore and slime stained shield, Tony nodded. “Yeah, you could say that. I scraped off the worst of it, but, well, didn’t have much to work with.”

Steve paled. “Wow, that’s…that’s gory.” He shrugged. “Good to know I could still help a bit, even while I was down and out.”

“That’s the spirit. Let’s go find our team.”


	30. Chapter 30

Odin wanted to smile at the way Loki looked at his lady, though his adopted son’s words quashed the impulse. Loki was right; the Tribunal would look to put the blame for all of this on the boy’s head. Certainly, Loki had made mistakes; but so had he. The way Loki spoke to this woman, this mortal, as they chatted casually while waiting for assistance to return Thor to the Valhöll, warmed his tired old heart. His son’s tone showed not only that he was enamored with the girl, but that he held her in deepest respect. Heimdall had mistaken nothing. And the girl…she was stubborn, courageous, powerful, and perhaps just what one so wild and willful as Loki needed. “Is it wise to move him, my lady?” he asked as the healer’s assistants approached with a sling to carry his older son.

She frowned. “Well, he doesn’t have any broken bones, and the main internal damage is all but fully healed. If we patch up the abdominal area it should be fine.” Odin hid another smile. Loki had taken the girl’s free hand and was holding it between both of his.

“I’d prefer to examine him myself if you do not mind.”

He rose to greet his Queen. “Frigga, my love. Thor is doing well thanks to Loki and his lady, Kara. But do reassure yourself so that you may cease fretting.” She accepted his hand as she dipped gracefully to her knees next to Thor. “My dear, this is Kara Gunnarssen, known as Hellbringer, a doctor of the mind on Midgard. She is also an extraordinary energy healer and has now saved both our sons’ lives. Lady Kara, this beauteous lady is Frigga, my wife and queen.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, your Majesty,” the fire-haired mortal said. “Loki speaks very highly of you.”

Oh, well played, Odin thought as Frigga’s face lit up with joy. “Thank you, sweet girl. I’m afraid that I have had almost no time with him since his return. He did mention that he owed everything to you, but has not had the opportunity to say much else.”

“I have been out in the field almost constantly, searching for the artifact that was brought here, apparently by the Svartálfar,” Loki defended himself. The boy sighed. “I failed to find it or them in time, as you can see,” he continued, sounding quite disgusted.

The mortal glared at him. “Stop that right now. No one else found them either.” Odin bit the inside of his cheek in appreciation of her words. He was right; the girl _was_ good for Loki.

“Hey, Lokes, old buddy. Look who I found,” a brash voice interrupted. They all looked up to see the red and gold heavily armored mortal stroll up, accompanied by the blue-clad mortal, now on crutches, as well as Sif and the Warriors Three.

… …

 “How’s Thor doing?” Tony continued as several strong looking guys wearing what he’d been told were ‘healers tunics’ shooed everyone to their feet and away from the blonde, motionless form.

“A lot better than Loki was when we got him back from that…that thing,” Kara said. “This time the bastard went directly for the meng mein, didn’t bother with anything else.”

“How did the enemy know to do this?” Sif asked in a suspicious tone. “Did you tell the enemy all of our secrets?” she directed to Loki.

“I told them nothing that was true,” Loki snarled. “But believe what you want. You will anyway.” He shook off Kara’s hand and stalked after Frigga and the men who had lifted Thor and were carrying him to the Valhöll. “All-Father, I shall be watching over Thor with mother should you require my presence,” he called over his shoulder.

“I don’t know who the _hell_ you think you are,” Kara said to the Amazon-like warrior. “But you’ve managed to add yourself to the list of people here who have totally pissed me off.”

“And that should frighten me, mortal?” Sif asked.

“Sif,” Odin began in a hard tone.

“Um, yeah, it should,” Tony interjected. “Do you maybe recall enemies turning into fireballs and then piles of ash between you and that freaky gate? That was her doing. No tech, no nothing…just _her_.”

“Lady Kara is also the one we spoke of, Sif. The one who can make you feel anything she chooses,” Fandral said.

“Guys, thank you, but I can chew her a new one without any help. Look, Sif? Is that your name? That demonic looking bastard knew where to hurt Thor because he tortured Loki for a week. Yeah, it took him a week to figure out how to hurt Loki in a way he couldn’t heal. Loki didn’t tell them anything; they discovered it by trial and error. He came to us with almost every bone in his body not just broken but shattered. He was bleeding out, internally and from open wounds. Most of his organs were barely functional and his lungs were so full of blood he was literally drowning in it.”

Tony winced, glad that Loki’s mom had gone with him and Thor. “I-I had no idea,” Sif muttered.

“No, you didn’t. But you had to go accuse Loki anyway, without getting the facts. That’s not just stupid, it’s criminally stupid, not to mention cruel.” Tony bit his lip as Kara fisted her hands and then folded her arms across her chest in an effort to rein in her temper. “Another thing,” his honorary sister said. “Never, ever piss off a redhead. I don’t know what it’s like in Asgard, but in my world redheads tend to have a hell of a temper. And this redhead, if she were so inclined, can make you regret it.”

“Kara, you probably should calm down before you…ah shit,” Tony said as he saw blood starting to drip from her left nostril. “How’s your head feel?”

She started wobbling and took a step before she collapsed. Barton caught her before she hit the ground. “Damn it, Stark. It’s never made her pass out before.”

“What is wrong with her?” Odin asked.

“The containment device that we used to get Loki back here after the invasion on our world, it, well, it has side effects. Loki was able to heal the damage just fine, but Kara, not so much. It’s destroying her nervous system. Usually there aren’t any symptoms, but when she’s restraining herself from using her pyrokinetic abilities on _someone_ ,” he said, giving Sif a hard look, “that energy rebounds and gives her a killer pain in her head and a nosebleed that doesn’t want to quit. This loss of consciousness, though, that’s new, and it’s not a good sign.” Tony sighed. “I guess this is something your all-seeing guy missed.”

“I missed nothing,” a dark man with creepy gold eyes rumbled. “Loki wished Thor to speak to Odin about it; it was not my place to interfere.”

“Oh, hey, Heimdall; thanks for passing on our messages.” Tony grinned at the guy’s stony look. “So, are you something like the anti-Claus? You always know who’s naughty and nice, but you don’t do anything either way?” Heimdall’s frown grew deeper, if that was possible. “No? Okay.” He looked back at Odin who was imperiously summoning a passing woman dressed in the healers’ colors.

“Eir, this woman needs your attention. We owe her much, take good care of her,” Odin ordered.

“I don’t know if your people can do anything for her. Kara’s a damn fine healer, but her techniques had absolutely no effect on this at all. Our conventional medical experts couldn’t even figure out why it was happening, let alone how to stop it.”

Eir smiled gently. “Our ways are not yours. We shall do what we can.” More assistants with a stretcher hurried over to them. Tony wasn’t sure when they’d been called, the way things went here, they could have been summoned mentally and it wouldn’t surprise him. Eir turned to Hawkeye. “Let them take her to the healing chambers, good sir.”

Hawk eased Kara down on the stretcher. “Sure, no problem.”

Tony frowned at Odin as Kara was carried off. “So that’s it, it’s that easy, you’ll help her?”

Odin’s sole visible eyebrow rose. “Before this day even began, I owed her my son’s life. Now I owe her the lives of both my sons, of course she will have whatever help we can give. How could you believe aught else?”

… …

Sif trudged back to the Valhöll. Odin was angry with her, the Warriors Three were shooting her disgusted looks, and Thor and Loki’s mortal friends looked at her as though she had lain with a bilgesnipe. How was she to have known that Loki was not to blame? He had been the cause of every other unimaginably horrible thing that had happened in her life, except, perhaps, for their foolish trip to Jötunheim. That had been Thor’s fault. She sighed. “I suppose I should not have accused him,” she muttered.

Only Hogun turned to her. “Silence would have been preferred,” was all he said.

“I was worried about Thor. That thing could have killed him,” she sputtered.

“Loki saved his life,” Volstagg said from behind them. “Even Mjölnir found him worthy.”

“What?” They all said as they turned to look at Volstagg in shock.

Their big friend shrugged. “Loki was able to take up Mjölnir and used it to defeat the enemies that surrounded Thor. Then he used it to destroy the one who had wounded our friend so gravely.”

“That-that’s not possible,” Sif found herself sputtering. “Mjölnir can only be wielded by one who is worthy…”

“Tis true. I was most surprised as well, but it was no trick, no illusion. I, myself had just fallen over Thor’s hammer mere seconds before Loki took it up. It did not budge for me,” Volstagg insisted.

“Then why did he not still have it? Why did he not show proof of his worthiness to the All-Father?” she asked.

They all stared at each other, no doubt wondering the same thing. “Purity of intent,” Hogun finally offered.

“Yes,” Fandral agreed, then elaborated on Hogun’s succinct statement as he was wont to do. “Loki was perhaps so focused on saving Thor that in his intent he was worthy, yet once that goal had been attained, his normal mischievous nature cost him the weapon’s favor.”

“That,” she said, “makes perfect sense.”

… …

“Your lady is quite beauteous, my son,” Frigga said as he caught up with her. “What are your intentions?”

Loki frowned, not knowing how to answer. While a casual lie would have sufficed for anyone else, he did try to avoid outright falsehoods with the woman who had raised him as her own and had always shown him equal favor with Thor. “I cannot truly have any intentions, mother,” he finally responded. “Until I know how I will fare with the Tribunal, it would be pointless.”

She smiled gently. “Well then, if you had not that concern, what would you with this…Hellbringer? And what name is that for a woman with powers reminiscent of the demons of Muspelheim? Hel has no power over fire.”

“Ah, well, most Midgardian religious beliefs describe their hell as being a place of fire where the souls of the damned will forever burn in great torment.”

“Hmm, I see. How odd they are.” She lifted a shoulder dismissively. “And will you not answer the other question?”

Damnation. Frigga never did distract easily. “She is mortal, mother. Even if she lives a full mortal life, she will be dust in less than a century, and ancient in half that. I…hesitate to torture myself by imagining I could be happy with this.”

She stopped and put her hand on his chest when he would have continued on. “No more evasions, Loki. Be direct. Do you love this woman enough, that if there were no other considerations you would take her to wife?”

He looked down into eyes that showed both her love and concern for him. His own eyes drifted shut. “Yes.”

… …

Frigga smiled as she directed the litter-bearers to take Thor directly to his chambers. Loki’s lady had spoken true; all Thor needed was time to rest and heal fully. There were many other injured who needed direct attention and having her son recover in his rooms would make space for those in more dire straits. “How did she win your heart, my son?” she asked Loki, now that she was certain that he was serious about the mortal.

“If I knew that, it would not have happened,” he claimed in a dry voice. “Think you that I wanted to torture myself this way?”

She laughed at his aggrieved expression. “Oh, Loki. No one ever goes looking for love. I certainly never expected nor sought to win your father’s.” He grimaced and opened his mouth to speak, but she would have none of that and cut him off. “Do not insult me by telling me that Odin is not your father, for that would mean that I am not your mother,” she warned. His shocked look told her volumes. “Never considered that, did you, my sweet boy?”

“No,” he said, sounding honestly abashed. “I suppose I did not.” Loki shook his head, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “You are sounding much like Kara.”

“Then she shows great sense.” She watched as the litter-bearers moved Thor onto his bed and then dismissed them with a gesture and nod of thanks. Leaning over her still unconscious elder son, she checked under the bindings to see that his wound had not been disturbed. “I have noticed you now claim your brother,” she said. “It pleases me greatly.”

“He did not know of the lie Odin told, I could not continue to blame him.” Loki snuck a look at her from under his lashes as his lips twitched again. “And yes, that was pointed out to me, quite adamantly, by Kara.” The tiny smile faded. “Did you know?”

Frigga sighed. She knew this question would come one day. “Odin never told me that he was not your blood father. He let everyone assume that you were his by another woman, just like Thor. He did, however, tell me of your Jötunn blood; he could not avoid doing that as you changed back and forth a good bit as an infant.” She shrugged. “I suspected that you were not his son by blood, but I was so pleased to have another baby to raise, I did not demand the truth.”

“I was a pawn, mother. Nothing more. And now I have outlived my usefulness.”

“Oh, Loki, my beautiful son. You were and are so much more than that, even to Odin, I swear.”

… …

An unfamiliar Asgardian smiled as Kara blinked and groaned at the pain throbbing in her temples. “Ah, you are back with us, Lady Kara,” she said. “Your head still pains you, I am certain. Let’s sit you up so that you may drink this to give it ease.” 

“What is it?” she asked, still groggy. “And, I’m sorry, but who are you?”

“I am Eir, Asgard’s first healer. This,” she said, holding up a cup containing a murky liquid, “is an herbal remedy for your ailment.”

Hmm, Asgard’s version of Tylenol. Okay. “Right, fine…um, thank you,” Kara muttered as the deceptively strong woman lifted her up to a sitting position and held the cup out. Taking it, she took a healthy swig and barely managed to swallow it. “Oh, that is nasty.”

Eir had the nerve to giggle. “Yes, it is, I’m afraid. Please, drink it all down. I promise you will be troubled by this pain no more.”

Sighing, Kara gave the stuff a dubious look but obediently gulped it all down. She shuddered at the foul taste and held out the cup for Eir to take away. As the woman set down the cup, Kara’s vision began to fade in and out. “Um, am I supposed to be getting dizzy?” she mumbled.

“Yes, my lady, you are. Worry not, it…”

… …

“… will pass after you sleep a bit.” Eir frowned as she realized that the mortal had fainted before she had finished her reassurance. “Ah, well, child. By the time you wake up you will no longer need the explanation, hmm?” She laid the woman back down on the bed carefully and turned to the Æsir healer who would be watching over their charge. “Be careful with this one, Bothildr. The All-Father owes her a great debt.”

“I will, my lady. Who shall I send to when she awakens?”

Eir considered the question. “Best call for me. I will check with Odin to see if he wishes else.” Satisfied that the mortal was in good hands for the remainder of her healing, she moved on to those of the Æsir with critical injuries who required the personal attention of their goddess of Healing.

… …

Tony smirked as he watched Hawkeye prowl around the set of rooms they’d been shown to. “No place to build a nest?” he cracked.

“Whole place is a nest,” Clint said as he stepped out onto the balcony. “We’re higher off of the valley floor than the top of Avengers’ Tower is off of the street.”

“Seriously?” He strode out to the balcony and looked over. “Holy shit. This place is built on the edge of a goddamn cliff on this side.” Staring out at the spectacular vista he added, “You couldn’t touch a view like this in the U.S. for under twenty million…and that would be for less than an acre, undeveloped.” Tony shrugged as the other two stared at him. “What? I’ve been looking for a private getaway.”

Steve shook his head from the chaise where he’d settled down, his still immobilized leg stretched out before him. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Hey, my spending money helps the economy. If I just sat on it, that would be a problem, but no, I spend it, people work to earn it, they get the money to spend, and the world goes around.” Clint huffed and rolled his eyes. “Aaaaand, I pay my employees premium wages and great benefits. Keeps them happy, makes them innovative and productive, which makes me more money to start the whole cycle all over again.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Clint told him.

“Whatever. I wish they’d have let us go see how Kara is doing.”

“Well, Odin did say he’d send word,” Steve pointed out.

“Fine, when?”

“When what?” They all turned to the doorway where Loki stood frowning at them. “Where is Kara?” he asked.

“Uh, she had a headache so the healers took her off to give her something for it.” Tony didn’t elaborate. Odin had asked them not to mention their conversation about Kara’s condition to Loki. He kind of liked the idea of keeping a secret from the god of Mischief and Lies, and the others hadn’t argued.

“She overtaxed herself, no doubt,” Loki murmured. “The evening meal is being served shortly, but tonight it is an informal affair. I’ve taken the liberty to have food sent here for all of you. If you’d prefer to not have my company…”

“No, no, that’s fine,” Tony told him hurriedly. “More the merrier.” He bit back a grin as the tension left Loki’s face. Yep, he’d thought he would be rejected. “Besides,” he said with a wink to let the god know he was teasing, “we’ll need you to tell us what we’re eating and drinking. I kind of doubt they’re going to explain anything to us.”

“Hmm, true.” Loki smirked back at him. “Of course, you’ll have to trust me to tell you the truth.”

Clint groaned. “You said that just to make us wonder, didn’t you?”

“Very good, Barton.” Loki shrugged. “I’ve got to have some fun around here.”

“How’s Thor doing?” Steve asked.

“He’s awake and bathing. He’ll be joining us shortly. Mother wanted to fuss over him a bit more, but he’d have none of it. I finally convinced her that she’ll have the opportunity to do so after he’s eaten.” Loki wandered around the spacious room, his hands clasped behind his back. “I spoke to Odin about your armor’s power levels, Tony. He has a safer proposition than having Thor strike you with lightning to recharge it. He’ll have someone discuss that with you in the morning.”

“Cool…uh, awesome,” Tony corrected himself hurriedly, earning an amused smile.

“It’s all right. You’ve explained the reference, I won’t take offense.” Loki gave him a sidelong glance. “And if you continue to be more sensitive with the, um, snark, I might be persuaded to tell you how to get around that programming loop.”

“Gee, thanks so much,” Tony groused.

… …

Frigga smiled as her younger son’s beloved opened her eyes. “Feeling better, dear?” she asked.

The young woman frowned slightly and then smiled in return. “Yes, actually. I-I feel great. No more headache.”

“Good. Walk with me and I’ll take you to your companions.” She waited patiently as the mortal got up off of the bed and then stretched. Her expression as she realized she was no longer wearing the scaled armor was priceless. “Something wrong?”

“Um, what happened to my armor?”

“I had the healers remove it and send it to be cleaned. It will be delivered to you in the morning. Are you hungry? You slept for several hours.”

“Starving.”

“Well, then let us go have a bite to eat.” She motioned for the girl to follow and left the healers’ domain. “Tell me, Kara,” she asked after they’d gone a good distance from the avidly curious healers. “Do you love my son?”

“Loki, you mean?” The girl sighed at her nod. “Kind of foolish of me, but…yes, I do. Very much.”

“Why do you say it’s foolish, dear?”

She shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. He’s a virtually immortal Norse god, and I’m a human mutant who’s most definitely mortal. Not exactly…I don’t know. It’s heartache waiting to happen.” She snorted indelicately. “That’s already happened. When Thor came for him I seriously expected that I’d never see him again.”

Frigga bit her bottom lip as she noticed the brightening of the girl’s eyes. “And your eventual return to Midgard without him will break your heart yet again, hmm?”

“Yes.”

“Despite all he’s done to your world, you still love him?”

“I-I’ve got very strong opinions on what was behind all of it. You probably don’t want to hear them since, well…”

“They’re quite critical of the All-Father?” Frigga finished for her and then laughed as the girl blushed. “Oh, Kara, don’t be concerned. I am not always happy with the decisions Odin has made, though I love him dearly.”

Kara nodded. “Did…well, I’m sure he passed on the message, but did-will, oh, I don’t know how to put this,” she said, sounding frustrated.

“Which message, dear?”

“We have evidence that Loki wasn’t really responsible for the attacks on our world, and that he tried to prevent it.”

Frigga nodded. “Yes, we were told. Let’s talk more about that over a meal for you before you join your friends.”

… …

Thor stretched as he approached the guest chambers his friends had been assigned. His back still ached, and the new scars on his belly itched prodigiously, but otherwise he felt well. He frowned as his stomach growled and decided he’d feel a great deal better once he’d eaten. Pushing the door open, he heard Tony Stark arguing with Loki. It saddened him for a moment until he realized it was not truly an argument, but a good natured debate. That realization was confirmed when he heard Captain Rogers chuckle quietly at the byplay. “Good eve, my friends,” he greeted them as he turned the corner into the sitting area that had been set with a table and chairs.

“Sleeping Beauty, about time you got your butt out of bed,” Stark returned. “Come on over here and settle a bet.”

“On what have you wagered and with whom, man of…” he hesitated as he recalled how that form of address made his friends react. “Ah, Tony.”

‘Tony’ grinned. “Loki and I disagree on the likely outcome of a war between a non-tech but highly magical society such as Asgard and a non-magical but highly technical society such as Earth.”

“Wagering against my brother is a foolish proposition. And the answer to this is simple, Midgard would lose.”

Loki nodded agreement. “Tony disagrees, as does Ca…Steve. Barton is undecided.”

“Well, cannot your magic disrupt technology on a mass level, brother?”

Tony stared at them. “Wait, it can? I didn’t know that.”

“Yes, it can. It would have been useless during the attack here as the Chitauri use a combination of magic and technology. But against a purely technological-driven war effort such as Midgard’s, yes, it would be quite effective.”

The inventor’s eyes narrowed. “Then you could have just shut us down in New York.”

Loki shrugged. “It would have had a limited effect on the Chitauri as well.”

“Limited, but could they have worked around it?” Tony asked.

Thor looked at Loki who was silently examining the food on his plate. “Brother? Do you not answer the question?”

Loki sighed. “I did not give them that opportunity,” he muttered before taking a large bite of the roasted suckling pig.

“You mean they didn’t discover you could do it, so you didn’t have to give them that advantage,” Barton said. “They couldn’t read your mind the way you could read mine.”

Thor watched his brother give the Hawkeye a sharp look. “I am a _god_ ,” he hissed. “No one controls me.” He stood and turned toward the door.

“Loki, stop. Tell me what they imply,” Thor asked.

“Nothing, they are fools, brother,” he insisted and strode out of the room.

Thor frowned and sat down at the table and began filling a plate. “What have you discovered?” he asked the others.


	31. Chapter 31

Loki extended a tendril of power to slam open the doors to his chambers and then close them after he’d passed through. He walked straight through to the balcony and held on to the rail as he stared blindly out into the night. How dare they imply he was a tool of the Chitauri and their masters? He made his own destiny, he…he shuddered at the memories of being trapped into taking actions he abhorred. No, the Other and the Mad Titan had not controlled his mind, but they could see and hear through him and knew his actions and words. Even the knowledge that they could do that much was humiliating. They could also deliver excruciating pain…pain that could continue for untold stretches of time while doing him no physical harm. “One is down,” he reassured himself. “Still one to go.”

The sound of his doors opening gently caught his attention. He turned to see Frigga ushering a slighter redheaded figure into his chambers. “We’ve left a change of clothing in here for you, dear,” Frigga told his lady. “I imagine you’ll wish to bathe before you see your friends.”

Loki frowned, wondering what had taken them so long to get Kara a simple remedy for her headache. “Mother? Kara? Where have you been?”

Frigga smiled. “Oh, Loki, I thought you’d still be with your friends from Midgard.”

“I-no, it became…” he trailed off, unable to tell his mother that he’d probably destroyed any chance of future acceptance by them.  Frigga had been overjoyed when Thor had told her of the kindness they had shown him upon his departure.

“What’s wrong?” Kara asked.

Of course, he thought. She could likely feel his discouragement. “It’s nothing, my lady. How is your head feeling? You overdid it today, did you not?”

She frowned at him. “Nice change of subject. And no, I was fine until another one of your idiot brother’s friends pissed me off.” She turned to Frigga as her cheeks flushed. “Um, sorry. Thor isn’t really an idiot, but his friends, well, they are very close-minded and it just makes me angry.”

“It’s quite all right, Kara. I understand. My eldest is not always the most understanding or tactful of men and I much doubt his friends here are any better. Though I have liked what I have seen and heard about his friends on Midgard. They seem fine people.”

Kara snickered. “Hmm. Well, the three he met when he was banished are okay. But the Avengers? One is an egotistical flamboyant genius. Another is a holier than thou soldier, yet another has really horrendous anger-management issues, the other two are, well, assassins. And then there’s me. I’m not too sure he’s made great choices on our world either.”

“He’s fortunate to count you as a friend, Kara,” Loki insisted. He shrugged. “And despite their issues, I-I will admit the others are, at least, no less worthy than any other friends he has made.”

“Wow, you’re in a generous mood,” she teased and stepped in close. He looked at her and then up at Frigga. His mother had lifted one eyebrow and her expression seemed to be saying ‘well?’ He wrapped his arms around Kara and hugged her close. “Perhaps I am. Regardless, Sif has ample reason to distrust me. Don’t hate her on my account.”

His mother smiled, and turned back to the door. “I’d best be going. After Kara has her bath, my son, perhaps you can take her to reassure your friends before the two of you retire. I’m certain they are anxious to know she is much recovered.”

Loki stared at her. Apparently Frigga fully expected Kara to be staying the night with him and…approved? “I will, mother. Thank you and good night.”

“Good night, Loki, Kara. Sleep well.”

… …

Wow. Apparently Loki’s mom approved of them sleeping together, unless Loki had more than one bed in here. “Um, did she just, um…”

He smirked briefly and then kissed the edge of her mouth. “She did.”

“Well, okay, then.” She frowned up at him. “So what happened with the guys?”

“They make…assumptions as to my actions.”

“So, they nailed something you’d rather they hadn’t,” she guessed.

Loki glowered at her, confirming it. “It does not matter. Are you ready for a bath, or do you need to eat first?”

“I had dinner with your mother. We had a lovely chat.” Kara grinned as he groaned. “Don’t worry; she didn’t share embarrassing young Loki stories. She was a lot more interested in what I do and what’s going on with S.H.I.E.L.D. versus the Avengers and such.”

“What is going on?” he asked.

“We all resigned. Tony and Pepper set us up as a non-profit organization, and we’re contracting our services to S.H.I.E.L.D. and friendly governments for non-emergency tasks. For emergencies, we’ll do whatever we can without worrying about who is paying for it. Stark Industries Legal department is working on getting liability waivers from, well, pretty much every government in the world and the United Nations. S.H.I.E.L.D. has already signed theirs and the U.N. is scheduled to vote on it shortly.”

“Good. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Council of Regents had unpleasant plans for you.”

“Yeah, we read the files you…or, should I say, some mysterious hacker provided to us.” Kara wrapped her arms tightly around him and buried her face in his neck. “I missed you so much.”

“And I you,” he admitted. “Kara, you do know that once the Tribunal meets…”

“Yes, I know. And they’ll be sending us all back to Earth just as soon as they can manage it. I really don’t want to think about that right now. Can you please just let me hold on to the illusion that I’m not going to lose you again? At least for tonight, okay?”

“Very well, love. We have tonight.”

… …

“Who the hell is this and what is she doing here?” Nick Fury grated as he burst into the new laboratory in Avenger’s tower where they’d moved Foster and Selvig’s equipment once the artifact had been removed from Earth. He glared at the perky blonde who was holding an animated conversation with Darcy Lewis. She looked up at him and stood.

“Beth Anderson. I’m with them,” she said, pointing at Banner, Romanov and Pepper Potts.

“She’s signed all of the confidentiality agreements, Nick,” Pepper said as she came over to them. “Beth was a big help with Kara earlier, she’s going to start her internship this spring at NYP, with a goal of specializing in trauma care.”

Darcy snickered quietly. That couldn’t be a good sign. “Miss Lewis, you had a comment?” Nick asked before he had second thoughts.

The dark haired and totally irreverent girl shrugged. “She’s also Cap’s main squeeze. They’re really cute together.”

Nick closed his eye and rubbed his forehead. He had to ask, he’d have thought he knew better by this point, but apparently not. “Fine. Don’t. Touch. Anything,” he ordered and strode to where doctors Foster, Selvig and Banner were examining readings. “What’s happening?” he asked them.

Jane Foster looked up with a frown. “The wormhole feedback was abruptly cut off. We’re not getting any more anomalous readings.”

“Which likely means they were successful in closing the gate in Asgard,” Erik Selvig interpreted helpfully. “It appears Loki was telling the truth. Otherwise the gate would still be open I would think.”

“Wonderful. Now how do we get our people back?”

The two scientists shrugged and looked highly uncomfortable. “We don’t,” Jane said quietly. “At least not until and if someone on Asgard brings them back.”

He looked over his shoulder at Pepper and the other women. “Have you told them this?”

Bruce Banner spoke up. “Pepper is aware of it, she’s already contacted Stark Industries legal department and had them release the General Power of Attorney that Tony set up giving her full control over the company. She also has the same for the Avengers interests. Beth guessed. She looks like a stereotypical dumb blonde, but she’s really sharp.”

“Saves breaking bad news.” He frowned as Pepper joined them.

“I’ve sent a copy of Beth’s paperwork to your inbox. I imagine you want to review it personally,” she said with that irritating and somewhat smug smile she used to keep Stark in line.

“Fine.” He pulled out a data pad and established the connection to his inbox. Opening the lengthy document he skimmed through it, stopping in surprise when he came across the name. “No, that…damn.” He did a quick search and confirmed the connection. Bethany Margaret Carter Anderson was named for her great aunt, British expatriate and U.S. Army General Margaret Carter, Steve Rogers’ handler during World War II. Her grandfather, George Carter, a British Member of Parliament had been Peggy’s brother, and his daughter had married American Dennis Anderson, a decorated member of the U.S. Marines who had signed on with the Secret Service after serving in Vietnam. Nick sighed.

“Something wrong?” Banner asked.

“I hate coincidences,” he said, and showed the search results to the scientist.

“Oh boy. I don’t think Steve has any idea.” He frowned. “For that matter, I don’t think Beth does either, though she did mention that her entire family thought Captain America was the greatest hero ever.”

“Very few people knew that Rogers and Carter had an emotional attachment. He was lost before they ever had a chance to act on it.”

“Oh boy.”

… …

“Hey, Bruce,” Darcy called out. “Pepper thinks we should all head back upstairs. Now that the equipment is all hooked into the central system Jarvis can monitor it and let us know if there’s any changes. Natasha’s down with heading up, what do you say?”

He shrugged. “There isn’t anything we can do here. I don’t see why not. Nick, you going to stay?”

“No, thank you. Unlike some people I have work to do even when we are not in the middle of a crisis.”

“Hmm, touchy, are we?”

“Don’t start, doctor. You’d be on a constant rampage if you attempted to do my job.”

Bruce smiled. “No doubt. I’ll wish you a quiet evening, then.” He watched as the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director nodded and headed for the elevator.

“So, what do you think? Movies to take everyone’s mind off of things?” Darcy asked as she plastered herself up against his side.

He tried not to sigh. His attempts at discouraging her had been a waste of time. Not that he wanted to discourage her. For all her flightiness she was really very bright and her flippant attitude was kind of fun. But she was at least fifteen years younger and he didn’t want to think about what kind of danger he could be to her if his other suddenly took control. “Okay. But we’ll have to go with non-romantic comedy. Otherwise we’re going to have three women crying outright and a fourth trying to convince us that she’d never cry under any circumstance whatsoever.”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Gotcha. Stark’s got a stash and a half. I’ll give Jarvis the parameters and have him give us a good assortment to choose from. Beth and I can get the popcorn and drinks going. Erik says he’s going to go read, he’s got a pile of technical journals he needs to catch up on so you’ll be the only rooster in the hen house.”

Oh joy. “Hmm, maybe I should go to the lab, I’ve got work to do.”

“Oh no you don’t, buster. You’re not leaving me alone with them. I’m going to need someone to help keep the conversation on safe topics, got it?”

Great. He couldn’t hold up his end of a conversation under the best of circumstances. “I suppose,” he finally conceded. If he didn’t, Darcy would no doubt follow him to his lab and then he wouldn’t have the insulation provided by the other women. She was really determined and, if he let himself think about it, very attractive. He was doing his utmost to not think about it. The last thing he needed was to find out the hard way how sexual need affected the other guy.

… …

Steve looked up as their door opened. Kara walked in clothed in some kind of funny looking dress similar to what Queen Frigga had been wearing. He had to admit, it looked good on her. The dark green was a nice contrast to her bright hair. Loki entered behind her and glowered at them. “Hey, doc, how are you feeling?” he asked, reminding himself not to mention the extent of the treatment she’d received since it was supposed to be a big secret from Thor, Kara and Loki.

“Much better, Steve. Thank you. How’s the leg?”

“Good. It barely even hurts. They said I could lose the brace tomorrow if I promised to take it easy.”

“You’d better listen, too.” She grinned at him. “When we get home, Beth can play doctor with you.”

He blushed furiously as the others laughed. “She doesn’t have to play anything,” he muttered. “She’s going to be a doctor soon.”

“I know, I’m just giving you a hard time because you called me doc again. If we’re going to have five doctors around the place, that’s going to get really confusing.”

“Yeah, okay, uh, Kara. I’ll try to remember.”

“Thank you, Steve.” She turned to Thor. “And how are you doing?”

“Very well indeed, Lady Kara,” he boomed. “Just a good bit of itching here,” he said as he pressed a hand to his solar plexus.

“Glad to hear it. Loki got to experience the joy of donating meng mein energy. He lasted a few minutes longer than you did.”

Loki gave his brother a smug grin. “I’ve always had greater…stamina than Thor.”

Steve frowned. He knew that was a double entendre just from Loki’s tone, but…oh. He closed his eyes and tried to fight down the blush. “Seriously?” he muttered. “Do you always have to twist everything, um, _that_ way?”

“I’m certain I have no idea what you mean, Steven,” Loki claimed. Steve could hear the smirk in his voice; he didn’t have to look at him to see it.

“Yeah, right.” He tried not to sigh. Stark and Barton were wearing ear to ear grins at his expense. “What were our losses?” he asked, trying to change the subject. Silence reigned. When he looked up at Loki and Thor their identical expressions of grief shook him. Loki cared every bit as much about the people of this place as Thor did.

“Far too high,” the younger prince whispered. “Twenty-five Æsir dead, hundreds injured. Nearly a hundred citizens who were not Æsir are dead, another hundred and fifty injured; many gravely so. If I had found the damned artifact before they’d managed to get it in place…”

“That’s a lot less death and injury than we had on Earth,” Clint offered.

“Æsir are, for all intents and purposes **_immortal_** , Barton. It is not the same thing at all. And there are perhaps ten thousand or so of us-them, all told, not billions as there are of you humans. It is an immeasurable tragedy for which I am responsible.” Steve tried not to stare as Loki folded his arms across his chest and stared at the ground. The god looked miserable and Steve felt for him.

“Loki, it isn’t your fault,” Kara said as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

“Then whose fault is it? Had I not fallen into the Void, they would not have known where to look for the power they sought. Even had I died before they recovered me, they still would have smelled its magic upon my body and would have traced it back.”

Thor had reached Loki’s side and he embraced his brother from behind. “Brother, if that is the case then it is all of Asgard’s fault as we drove you to that point with our careless treatment of you. You will not face the tribunal alone for this; I will proudly stand beside you and claim my share of the responsibility for what has befallen us.”

“Um, Thor?” Tony asked. “Do you think they’ll hold this thing after they see about getting my suit recharged?”

“I do not know, Tony, yet I believe so. I have been told the Tribunal will convene in the afternoon.”

“Good.” Tony looked at him and Clint. “Guys, I’m not going to speak for the two of you, but, well, the only way they’re going to blame Loki for this shit is over my dead body.”

“Considering what we know now,” Clint agreed, “I’m up for it. How about you, Cap?”

It was days like this that Steve was proud to be Captain America and a member of the Avengers. “It would be an injustice to do anything less. And I should be out of this brace by then. I’m with you.”

Loki shook his head and sighed. “You are all insane; every last one of you.” Yeah, Steve thought, Loki may have said the words, but his expression was, for the first time since he’d turned up in Central Park, hopeful.

… …

Kara smiled as Loki held open the door to his rooms for her. He’d escorted her, like a knight of old, from the guest chambers back to the Royal Wing. Someone had been in while they were gone. Lights were lit and a table was set with covered dishes. “More food?” she asked.

“Yes; I never finished the evening meal. I suspect Thor asked this to be delivered.” He stopped and brushed long fingers along her cheek. “Did they mean it, do you think?”

“Of course. None of us blame you for what happened in Asgard.” She shrugged. “We don’t even really blame you for what happened in our world, not anymore.”

“I was not under the control of the Other or his Master,” Loki insisted.

“They had some kind of hold on you, though. Your eyes were blue up until the point the Hulk pounded you into Tony’s floor. We figure that they could see what you were doing and maybe even hear what you were saying. But you had free will, so you could manipulate things to hopefully stop them. And you did.” He frowned and stared at the floor. “Loki, it was brilliantly done. I don’t think anyone else could have managed to minimize the damage the way you did. The only thing we really couldn’t figure out was why Manhattan.”

“Hmm. Well, the Chitauri do not maneuver very well. In a more open area, they would have been able to spread out and disperse before they could be stopped. It was far easier for the Avengers and the military to protect the populace and contain the enemy than it would have been most anywhere else.”

“Then the only thing you didn’t plan for was the nuke.”

“Didn’t I?” he said with a slight smirk. “On the contrary; I did not pull that information on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s council during my recuperation. I’d visited them before, well, the three of them that had the most sway over the others. I would have been quite disappointed had they not sent the device.”

She gaped at him. “But…what if Tony hadn’t decided to be a hero?”

He shrugged. “I believed either he or Thor would do so, but if I was wrong, I would have done it myself. I would not have survived it, but by that point, I didn’t care. Thor was aware of the menace and would warn Asgard, and the Chitauri horde would have hesitated to attack Midgard again.”

“I’m glad it didn’t come to that. Even if I lose you, I-I’m grateful to have had you in my life, even for a little while.” She swallowed a sob. “Not that I want to lose you, but…”

“It seems inevitable.”

Kara decided it would be best to change the subject. She didn’t want to spend what would likely be their last night together in tears. Turning, she looked around the spacious chamber, trying to find something to talk about. Her mouth dropped open in shock as she noticed a framed pencil drawing that had to have been sketched by Steve Rogers when he took a turn on watch after Loki had been placed in her bed to recuperate from his injuries. The large and detailed drawing showed herself sprawled on Loki’s chest, face turned toward his. The detail was amazing. “Oh…when did Steve give this to you?” she asked.

“The entire team came up to say farewell,” he said quietly as he stepped up behind her and enfolded her in his arms. “I was rather…stunned.”

She smiled. “Loki, when you’re not purposely being an ass, you’re very likable, you know.”

“I actually do not know that. I-I’ve never been liked for myself before.”

Turning, she hugged him hard. “Well, we liked you. Even those of us who wanted to hate you and fought it every step of the way ended up liking you. Of course, we’re not exactly normal people. Every one of us is a misfit in some way or another.” She shrugged. “I guess once we got past the Norse god and crazy destructive stuff, it seemed like you were one of us.”

“Thank you, love. I wish I could be one of you, but I much doubt fate will be that kind.”

… …

Loki closed his eyes as Kara’s arms tightened about him once again then drew in a sharp breath as a decision he hadn’t even realized he’d been considering was made. If Odin released him within her lifetime, he would return to her and spend every minute she had left loving her. When she died, he’d mourn, but at least he would have the memories of being loved so fully. “I love you, sweet Kara,” he told her as he reached down to lift her into his arms.

She smiled up at him. “I’m never going to get over that, you know. I really never thought you could feel the same way about me.”

“We’re even, then. I never thought I could feel so strongly about anyone.” He grinned at her. “Notice I said any _one_ , not any mortal.”

“I did notice that, thank you. I guess you’ve decided we mortals aren’t all that bad after all.”

“Hmm. None of you are ordinary mortals. I’ve decided exceptions can be made.”

Kara fell backwards laughing as he set her down on his bed. “You are so impossible,” she finally managed. Reaching up to stroke his jaw she told him, “And so perfect for me. Now, how the hell do I get this outfit off? It has so many hooks and laces I don’t even know where to begin.”

“You don’t.” He smirked at her confusion and reached out with his magic. The dress vanished from her body and she gasped when the cool air of his chambers flowed over her bare skin. “I’ve sent it to the wardrobe.” He sent his own clothing away and then leaned down to kiss the astonished expression from her lips. “You have your work saving devices, I have work saving magic.”

“Huh. I think I like your way better.” She wriggled back until she was fully on the bed. “Coming?” she asked playfully.

“Not yet I’m not,” he growled and covered her body with his own, claiming her lips in a ravenous kiss. He moaned as her taste ignited a deep need within him. A need to make her his and only his in a way no one else could. “Kara, how is your energy?” he asked.

She blinked and tried to focus. “Uh, um, great, actually. That herbal stuff they gave me for my headache kind of recharged me. I feel like I could take on an army.”

“Could you take on a Jötunn?” he asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Kara’s mouth dropped open as she realized what he wanted. “Oh.” She blushed. ‘I-yes, but we can’t take too long; we’d have to be well, quicker than we usually are.”

“I think we can manage that. Be sure to tell me when it’s too much, hmm? I don’t want any harm to come to you.”

Her smile was wicked. “I’m more worried about harm coming to you. After all, you’ll be intentionally starting a fire in me.”

“I’ll take that risk,” he whispered in her ear as he let his form shift. He could feel his body temperature drop rapidly and saw his much cooler breath condensing in the warm air. He trailed his tongue along the tendon that ran from her shoulder to behind one delicate ear and then nipped the lobe sharply. She moaned as he moved back to her sweet spot and sucked the skin that now seemed so hot into his mouth. “So beautiful, my lady of fire,” he murmured.

Her moans trebled as he moved to take a hardening nipple between his teeth and tugged on it sharply. His fingers found its twin and twisted it until she arched beneath him. “How is it you make me burn, my god of ice?” she asked hoarsely.

He grinned as he released her nipple and trailed both fingers and kisses down her creamy skin. Her nether curls were, a distant part of his brain noted, all the same shade, in the middle of the range of those that graced her scalp. He parted them, enjoying the contrast between the cobalt blue fingers of his Jötunn form’s hand, the auburn of her pubic hair and the pink tinted cream of her inner folds. “Love makes you burn, my beautiful lady,” he crooned.

She shrieked softly as he plunged two fingers into her already wet canal. The heat of her natural lubrication was scalding in this form, but he reveled in it. “God, Loki…I-I can’t tell you how good that feels,” she groaned, lifting up to draw his fingers even deeper inside. “Thought…thought you were god of Mischief,” she continued. “Think they got it wrong; feels like Love to me.” Kara moaned as he withdrew and then thrust his fingers deep inside again and then shrieked as his cool lips closed on her clitoris. “So good,” she hissed as he flicked it with his tongue while continuing to thrust slowly in and out of her sex.

He sucked strongly on the small bud as she continued to come undone beneath him. Her hot fluids were now soaking his hand and dripping down her thighs and his cock was so hard it began to pain him. Pulling back, he asked, “Can you take more, my love?”

“Always,” she told him. He shifted on the bed and settled her thighs up and back. He checked her expression and was reassured to see her watching him avidly. Smirking slightly, he positioned himself and slowly, carefully slid his staff into the burning core of her sex. He groaned as her tight heat enveloped him. It was just short of excruciating, but at the same time, exquisite. “Loki,” she moaned. “That’s so…so…amazing.”

… …

Kara whimpered as his cold staff pressed deep within her. The sensation was indescribable. There was an underlying heat within the cold, as his blood pulsed through the veins, and it…traveled, in a line, with a beat that was not noticeable when his flesh was warm. The ridges that ran across the rest of his body continued down his staff and the feel of them added an amazing counterpoint to the cool silky feel of his skin.  She shuddered as he withdrew and then pressed in again, his long fingers tightening around her thighs as he groaned. “So hot, my love,” he whispered, then those startlingly red eyes flashed open and the corner of his mouth lifted in a grin. “In all ways.”

Trust Loki to make her laugh, even in the middle of mind-blowing sex. “Stop,” she finally managed. “No time for teasing, remember?”

“Damn. Very well, sweet Kara. No teasing.” She gasped as he thrust home sharply, shivering as the icy sensation traveled all the way to the entrance of her vagina. The cold triggered pleasurable spasms that made her arch her back, desperate to take him deeper still. “More, my love?” he purred.

“God yes, Loki.” He began to thrust in earnest then, pounding hard and deep as she continued to moan. Her skin tingled and goose bumps arose as her body tried to trap her heat against the onslaught of Loki’s frigid flesh. The hard ridges roughly stroked the inside of her canal adding to the already overwhelming sensations. Loki pressed her legs back even further and leaned in to capture her lips. His tongue thrust inside her mouth and she closed her lips around it, sucking hard on its cold, supple surface. Kara forced herself to look directly into his blood-red eyes and moaned at the incongruousness of the heat within them. He pulled back, releasing her lips and she gasped as he turned his attention to her clit, rubbing and pinching it with chilly fingers.

“Come for me, my darling girl,” he hissed, moving his other hand to sharply twist first one nipple and then the other. “Give me all of your heat, love.”

A bliss-filled scream escaped as the cold pleasure shot through her entire body. She arched up off the bed and felt the now scalding heat of her come soaking both of them as waves of sensation rippled through her. The shuddering spasms continued, giving her a high from which she felt she would never come down. Her vision began to dim, but she couldn’t let go…had to let him know. “Loki!” she shrieked. “Love…you…always…you…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I don’t know about the rest of the Loki Lovers out there, but I’ve been fantasizing about this since they showed Loki in his Jötunn form in Thor. Sigh. Was it as good for you as it was for me? ;P


	32. Chapter 32

Loki watched anxiously as his lady’s eyelids fluttered. She’d fainted, the energetic strain of maintaining her body heat while they made love with him in his Jötunn form had taken its toll. Kara had managed to retain consciousness until after he’d finished inside her and had assured him she was well, but he still felt guilty. He stroked her silky hair back with his now warm hand and marveled at the knowledge that such an amazing woman loved him. Her beautiful eyes finally opened, the kaleidoscope of blue, green, gray and gold seeming to swirl as she turned her head to look fully at him. “I’m fine,” she said. “I told you not to worry.”

He smiled and stroked a finger across her bottom lip. “I will always worry for you, love.” His grin widened as she rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You need to have something to eat, rebuild your strength,” he insisted. “I’ve brought the table in here.”

Kara sighed and let him help her sit up. “If I eat something, will you stop worrying?” she asked.

“I will worry less. And you are eating, it is not optional.”

“Humph. Fine. But only because I’m hungry, not because you said so.”

Her stubborn pout was a sight to see. “Of course, my lady.” He picked up and plate and selected a few items from the serving platters and then set it in her lap. “You will enjoy these best, I think.”

She stared down at the plate for a moment and then frowned at him. “Loki, I’m not an invalid.”

“No, but I enjoy spoiling you.”

“Oh.” Blinking, she stared at the food for a moment more, than looked up at him and smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t even think about it that way. I guess I’m not used to having someone want to take care of me. So, what? Not going to feed it to me too?”

He laughed and settled himself back down on the bed, set the plate aside and pulled her into his lap before picking it up again. “Better?” he asked and nuzzled her jaw when she nodded. “Good.” Choosing a morsel from the plate he held it to her lips. “Roast…venison, I think is the closest approximation to a Midgardian animal; though it is domesticated, so the taste of it is closer to your beef.” She cooperatively accepted and chewed the bite of meat and he amused himself by pressing soft kisses along her shoulder until she swallowed.

“If you’re going to keep on doing that, I’m not going to get much eaten,” she informed him.

“Hmm. I shall have to restrain myself then.” He selected another bite, a root vegetable from the plate and held it up for her. “This has the texture of your raw carrots, but the flavor of your sweet potatoes.” She took it from him and crunched it with every evidence of enjoyment. Next he picked up a slice of fruit, the way the fruit had been cut horizontally, the individual slices resembled the device on Rogers’ shield.

“Is that starfruit?” she asked

“I do not know if you have it on Midgard, or if so, what it may be called. Try it, hmm? It’s quite tasty, though a bit sweet.”

Kara took the fruit slice in her mouth and closed her eyes. “Mm. Yep,” she said after she’d swallowed. “Starfruit. I haven’t had one of these since I visited Hawaii. They’re awesome, do you have more?”

“I shall get you all you’d like, love.” He made a mental note to order some for her morning meal. “Have some more of the meat.” He fed her another piece and then popped one in his own mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he considered the evening’s events. “Just how far do you think your friends are willing to go at the Tribunal?” he asked.

“Our friends. And it depends, I think, on what’s decided. Will they be considering what happened to Jötunheim, or just what happened on Earth?”  

“Midgard, Kara. And please remind the others, none of you will be taken seriously here if you continue to call it Earth even if it is what you’ve called it all your lives.” He frowned as he encouraged her to take another bite of the meat, it was quite well seasoned, and again, took a few for himself. “They will be considering all of my actions, including those in your Puente Antigua area. Though that did lead to Thor proving he had learnt his lesson and allowed his power to be restored. Should Thor wish to see it that way, they will likely only censure me for how I went about it.”

She shook her head. “Was that even your intent?” Her eyes narrowed at his silence. “Hmm, that’s what I thought. You were lashing out because of how hurt you were. But it turned out well.”

“How so? That led to my fall into the Void.”

“Maybe, but it also led to Jane being able to figure out wormholes and her being able to send the guys here with us so we could help Asgard. So that really should be a wash.”

“A what?”

Her head dropped back on his shoulder. “A wash. Um, it’s a colloquial term meaning it should balance out.” Loki smiled as she stretched up to press a soft kiss on his jaw. “I suppose it’s amazing we don’t have to explain more colloquialisms to you than we do. The few days I had to spend talking to Thor nearly drove me insane, and Steve isn’t much better considering it’s his planet and he only missed seventy years of language evolution. And don’t get me started on how crazy it is trying to get either of them to use any modern technology correctly.”

“I did have an advantage. Not only have I been working at keeping up with Midgard’s science, when I controlled those agents I absorbed quite a bit of their knowledge; probably more than most would as I have practiced my memorization and retention skills for centuries. One never knows what will be needed for a powerful work of sorcery.”   

“Were any of them programming geniuses?”

He chuckled as he selected more fruit from the platter. “No, but most of them knew more than the average person, I expect. Programming isn’t all that much different from using magic. Had he the ability to channel the power, Tony Stark would make a formidable sorcerer.” Shrugging as he teased her by offering one of the star-shaped fruit pieces only to pull it away he continued, “Fortunately, he has no such ability.”

Kara was frowning at him, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. “If you’re going to pull food away, it must mean I don’t need to eat anymore.” He immediately tucked the slice between her lips. Once she swallowed she asked: “Why fortunately?”

“Because he is exceedingly reckless. The kind of power that can be harnessed if used carelessly could destroy more worlds than he can even imagine. Granted, it would take the practitioner with it, but his recklessness would cause him to ignore that pertinent fact and try it regardless.”

“Maybe. I’m not so sure, though. He’s matured a great deal recently.” She sighed as he held up another bite of vegetable. “No, I’ve had enough. I could use some water, though.”

“Hmm, I’ll need to send for some. Meanwhile, have a bit of mead.” He held the goblet up to her lips.

“Not a good idea for me to have anything alcoholic after draining myself so much. So what about Jötunheim? We can vouch for what happened on Midgard, but there’s nothing we can say about that.”

“I don’t know. I suppose it depends on how much damage resulted, and on how much outrage there has been amongst the other realms to what I did to them. Though I think Thor will try to dissuade them from blaming me on that. He feels responsible as it was his idea in the first place…well, to subjugate Jötunheim, not to try and destroy it. That, I’m afraid, was all me.”

Kara twisted in his lap and hugged him close. “I don’t suppose they’ll take testimony about psychological state and such?”

“No, my love. Best not to dwell on it, there’s naught we can do until we know what the members of the Tribunal think of it all.”

“I won’t let them hurt you.”

“Kara, don’t. Promise me you will not mount some ill-advised rescue attempt. If you cannot dissuade them from sentencing me to something you consider unreasonable, you will need to go home and try to forget about me.”

“Bullshit.” Her arms tightened about him and hot tears dampened his neck. “I’ll never be able to forget you, and I won’t be able to let it go.”

“If you don’t, they may do something to you that _I’ll_ regret. Please, sweet love. Don’t make this more difficult for me. I know the thought of me suffering in any way hurts you, but I will suffer it gladly to know that you are well and safe. Do not do anything that will jeopardize your chances of being fully healed. Even if you did manage to save me from punishment, if you died for lack of healing, it would destroy me.”

“It’s just not fair,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

“I know.” He combed his fingers through her hair as she sobbed, rubbing her back with his other hand. Once she settled, he kissed her forehead and used one of the hand linens to dry her face. “For more than a thousand years I have watched my brother tread over hundreds of hearts that were sincerely offered him, taking no real notice or care of any of them. I-I am offered one, and it is the heart of a glorious and miraculous woman, and I cannot even…no, it is not fair at all.”

“I really am full, Loki,” she said softly. “Can we just go back to sleep?”

He smiled and returned the plate to the table and settled her back down on the bed. “We can lay back down…sleep, well, that will come eventually.”

… …

Hawkeye turned to stare at the entrance to their suite. No, he hadn’t been mistaken, someone was knocking. He dropped back down from the ledge where he’d been watching the sunrise to the floor of the balcony, crossed the common area and opened the door. Fandral and Sif waited on the other side. “What?” he asked.

The tall woman frowned. “He’s as talkative as Hogun,” she groused.

“No, he speaks a good deal more, but not unnecessarily. Good morrow, Hawk. Is Thor here? We need to consult with him and he was not in his chambers,” Fandral said.

“Yeah, he fell asleep over there,” he told them as he stepped back and nodded toward the piece of furniture that resembled an overstuffed couch without arms on the end. Thor was sprawled across it, still snoring. “He dropped off mid-conversation.”

“He’d likely not fully recovered before he joined you,” Sif offered. “He’s stubborn that way.”

“He’s stubborn most ways; almost as much a pain in the ass as his brother.”

The woman grimaced but Fandral chuckled. “They are cut from the same cloth in that regard, surely.”

Sif frowned and pushed past them. “Thor, wake up, there is trouble developing,” she called out as she stopped a few yards away from the sleeping god of Thunder.

Clint almost laughed as Thor jumped up and took on a fighting stance, sweeping his arms out in several directions as though he needed to clear enemies away. The reason for Sif awakening him from a distance was obvious. “What, where?” he rumbled, as he blinked sleep from his eyes.

Sif shook her head. “Not here, be at ease; but there is much to discuss and soon. Delegations have arrived.”

“What’s going on,” Clint asked.

“The All-Father has called a War Council with our allies. He is concerned that the Mad Titan will not give up his quest for a dangerous treasure that resides in Asgard’s vaults.”

Thor stretched and yawned, then turned to Sif with a frown. “Why did he not wait until after the Tribunal has met?”

Fandral stepped from behind Sif. “From what we understand, he wishes Loki to speak to what he knows of the enemy. I-I’m afraid that does not bode well as to Odin’s confidence in the decision of the Tribunal.”

“Crap.” Clint turned and strode over to the occupied bedrooms. “Stark, Cap, wake up. You need to hear this.” Rogers sat up almost immediately but Stark didn’t so much as blink. “Shit.” He stalked over to the bed and prodded the billionaire’s shoulder. “Stark, wake up, we’ve got company.”

“Not now, Pep, gimme another ten, ‘kay?” the man mumbled.

“In what freaky universe do I sound like Pepper?” he asked. “Shit.” After considering for a minute, he grabbed the still sleeping idiot under the arms, dragged him off of the bed and dumped him on the floor. “Wake up, or I’ll get Thor in here to use a little lightning on your lazy ass.”

One chocolate brown eye opened. “You wouldn’t. He wouldn’t.”

“I would; he probably wouldn’t except Loki may be in trouble.”

“Christ, what did Bambi do this time,” Stark muttered as he clambered to his feet.

“Bambi?”

“Yeah, blunders around getting his ass in trouble and then gives you the damn baby deer eyes to get out of it. Why the hell do I always have to explain these things?”

“Because we don’t share your warped view of the world, Tony,” Rogers said as he leaned into the room, balancing on his crutches. “Come on, Thor’s friends are waiting.”

… …

Christ, a hangover, in freaking Asgard, no less. Tony groaned as he pulled on the clothes that had been left for him by the servants he had yet see. Maybe they were invisible? Maybe there were no servants and it was all magic? “Shit, I hate magic,” he muttered. After staring in the mirror at the outfit for a minute, he brightened. “Huh, very Pirates of the Caribbean, kind of.” He shrugged. “Whatever it is, I rock it.”

Thor, the Amazonian bitch and Fandral were going at it when he emerged, talking over each other, gesturing, and generally making no more sense than a cage full of monkeys at the zoo. Cap was staring at them with his trademark disgusted expression. “Okay, that’s it, all of you **_shut up_** ,” he finally barked. Surprisingly they all responded to the authority in his tone and buttoned it. Would wonders never cease? “Now, Sif, explain it as though we have absolutely no idea of your political structure, treaties, or anything else, because three of us don’t, okay?”

She looked Steve up and down and nodded. “Odin’s magic and that of Asgard itself protects a vault of powerful artifacts and other treasures. It seems the enemy that _held Loki_ ,” and here she sounded like she was spitting, “is a powerful being whose name we will not mention lest he gain the ability to hear our conversation. We call him the Mad Titan. He wants one of the treasures and will wreak destruction upon the entire universe should he obtain it.”

“Okay, so this Titan…is that like the Titans of Earth mythology?” Tony had to ask.

“Originally, perhaps, but those creatures had not the power of this one.” Tony’s stomach rolled at her calm assertion. “This is a grave danger to all of the nine realms, including your Midgard. The treaties the All-Father has undertaken with those empowered to treat with us require mutual defense against outside enemies, therefore Odin was forced to call in delegations from the other realms so that they may be aware of the enemy and take steps in their own defense.”

“And maybe make sure no more of them help the bastard attack Asgard again?” he guessed.

“Exactly,” Sif agreed. “The Svartálfar representative is here with the others, but he is under guard from what we can see and seems much subdued. Hogun and Volstagg are attempting to find out more.”

“Okay, I understand Hogun; the man’s a wraith when he wants to be, but Volstagg?”

Thor chuckled. “Do not underestimate him, friend Tony. Volstagg may act the buffoon, but his mind and ears are very sharp and he is often ignored as not worthy of notice. Our large friend often hears much that is intended to be confidential.”

Sif nodded. “He was the one who heard the council being called when he was visiting the kitchens early.”

Steve was rubbing his forehead and Clint looked bored but neither of them asked the obvious question, so Tony guessed it was up to him…in the middle of his freaking hangover. Shit. “Okay, so big war council meeting. Why is this a problem for Bam…uh, Loki?”

The woman gave him a ‘what are you, an idiot?’ glare. “Emissaries are here from Jötunheim as well.”

“Oh, shit; you’re talking about his birth dad’s realm that Loki trashed. That can’t be good.”

“Hence our disquiet.”

“You’re no fan of Loki’s, why ‘our’?”

She audibly ground her teeth. “He is loved by Thor and by Lady Frigga. I would do anything for either of them.”

“Gotcha. Fandral, buddy, what’s with the sad eyes?”

“They are holding the council _before_ the Tribunal, Tony Stark. I do not think that speaks well of Loki’s chances with that august body.” The dandified Æsir shrugged. “Also, I am saddened that Lady Sif did not have the opportunity afforded Hogun and I, to truly come to know Loki as more than Thor’s brother.”

Tony smirked as Sif rolled her eyes. “Yep, that’s truly sad,” he agreed. “Okay, so now what?”

Thor turned toward the windows and heaved a sigh. “I shall go warn my brother so that he is not pulled into the council unprepared. He will not even have these few last hours with his lady.” When the big lug turned around again, his eyes were wet.

“Damn. They can’t catch a break.”

… …

Kara sighed as she lightly traced along the lean muscles of Loki’s chest and abdomen. He was still asleep, which meant that he’d lain awake well into the night again, worrying. Not that he would ever admit to it, no, of course not; that would be a sign of weakness. She sighed again and turned her face to kiss the smooth cool skin of his neck. His arms tightened around her, but otherwise he didn’t stir. Sunlight was flooding the room beyond the bed’s draperies and had been for some time. Playing idly with one of his almost flat nipples she debated waking him. He shifted and one hand slid down her back to cup her ass and then squeezed. She grinned. “You’re awake,” she said.

“How can I sleep through your arousing touch, my love?” he asked as he pulled her on top of him. He wasn’t kidding about being aroused, though the thought crossed her mind that maybe it was just one of those guy things. While she hadn’t slept with anyone before Loki, she’d read journals and listened to gossip and understood about morning ‘wood’ as it was called. His eyes narrowed slightly. “It is all because of you,” he told her as though he read her mind.

“Do you read thoughts?” she asked.

“No, I read expressions and body language. And you, sweet Kara, have an extraordinarily expressive face.”

She shrugged. “I don’t usually have anything to hide.”

“I know, love. Your honesty is one of your strengths.” Loki tugged at her hips until she settled directly on top of his rigid staff. “Hmm, and you, dear lady, are already wet for me.”

“You sure that we women don’t just wake up that way?”

His eyebrows rose. “I’m fairly certain that is not the case. Do you mean to tell me you do not want me?”

There was a bit of hurt in his expression, but the sparkle in his green eyes gave him away. “Nope, I don’t want you,” she claimed breezily as she shifted and lifted herself above him. “Not at all,” she insisted as she took a firm hold of his erection and began to lower herself onto it. “Just…” she gasped as he filled her to overflowing. “Don’t…” she moaned as her body began to adjust. “Want this to go to waste,” she finally managed to finish.

Loki’s smug grin made her laugh. “Yes, laugh at me, you wicked wench,” he said. “But don’t you dare stop what you’re doing.”

Kara pressed her hands flat on his taut abdomen for balance as she raised herself up and tucked her heels under her. “Never,” she promised as she began to ride.

… …

Odin stared down at the elder of Laufey’s two full-blooded sons. Helblindi had come personally to represent Jötunheim, leaving his younger brother Býleistr in charge of the realm. Two bodyguards had accompanied the Jötnar heir, and considering Laufey’s death in this palace, Odin had not refused them entrance. “I will have your word that you and yours will not do harm to Loki during this visit, and that you will abide by the final decision of our Tribunal,” he told Loki’s half-brother.

Helblindi glared back at him, nearly eye to eye though Odin stood on a dais. “If the final decision does not address the wrong done to my realm, I will not abide by it.” The Jötnar flanking him stood silently, but their hands were held in a fighting stance. One couldn’t completely disarm a frost giant. They could make weapons of ice at will, though such an act here, in Asgard, would cost them a great deal in energy.

“And what wrong was done your realm, _Prince_ Helblindi,” Odin asked, well aware that the heir presumptive of Jötunheim had not yet been crowned king.

The boy’s cheeks flushed purple at the implied insult. “We had numerous deaths, and our climate has suffered unspeakable damage. The sudden influx of cold…”

“And how has cold ever harmed your people?” Haakun, first of Odin’s High Councilors asked.

Helblindi’s glare would have melted a glacier. “The sudden influx of cold upset the realm’s balance. Now the ice fields are melting, temperatures are rising, and our resources are projected to be irrevocably destroyed within five cycles.”

“Would restoration of the ice fields prevent this?” Odin asked the seething prince.

“We believe so. You _must_ give us the Casket of Ancient Winters to restore the balance. It is our birthright, our artifact, and we should have its custody.”

“The last time a Jötnar King had custody of the Casket, he attempted to use it to bring about another Ice Age on Midgard. Nearly a hundred Æsir died to save that realm. No, you will not have it back,” Haakun vowed.

“That’s a lie, it did not happen that way!”

Glaring down at the irate boy, Odin slammed Gungnir’s base down on the floor. The impact shook the room and the three Jötnar staggered as they attempted to regain their balance. “It happened long before you were even born you insolent pup!” he bellowed. “Do not tell us what did and did not happen, I. Was. There.” He took a deep breath to quiet his temper as the Jötnar stared at him, seemingly chastened.  “You will not be given the Casket,” he reiterated Haakun’s words calmly. “However, I will guarantee you that before any other sentence is carried out, Loki will be bound to use it to restore your ice fields so that your realm’s balance may be regained.”

“And what of his other crime? He is a patricide.”

 Odin smiled at the prince’s sullen tone. “Did you know, _Prince_ Helblindi, that should you be crowned king you will be the first King of Jötunheim in over ten millennia who will have taken the crown without first taking the life of their father? By all rights and traditions of Jötunheim, the crown should go to Loki.”

… …

Loki moaned as Kara’s walls clenched hard around him. Her joy in their lovemaking was evident in this position; he could watch her changing expressions and enjoy the view of her head thrown back wantonly, her full breasts swaying with her motions as she continued to ride his throbbing erection. He wasn’t going to last too much longer, but judging by the trembling waves running through her muscles, neither was she. Kara whimpered as she shifted. Both hands were now pressed against his sides, her small fingers gripping hard as she drove her sex down and back in an effort to wring even more sensation from their coupling. “Gods, Kara…if I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were experienced.”

She laughed between her moans. “Inexperienced doesn’t mean ignorant,” she gasped. “Women talk…lots.” Groaning, she twisted her hips as she settled almost flush against him and then began to pull up again. “And I’m a really good listener.”

He shuddered as the urge to thrust up and release began to overtake him. “And a very quick study, my love,” he gasped before he gave up on any attempt to prolong the pleasure and grabbed her hips. Kara shrieked as he pulled her down hard and then began to thrust frantically from beneath her. She sobbed and held on as they pounded together and finally found her own release with a muffled scream as she pressed her face into his chest. Loki bit back his own triumphant shout as he heard movement in the outer rooms of his chambers. Using a tendril of power he identified the intruder as Thor.

“Loki?” Kara asked as he scowled and settled her limp form back down on the bed and gave her a distracted kiss. “What’s wrong?”

“My brother’s timing still leaves much to be desired,” he groused. Her puzzled frown drew a smirk from him. “Thor arrived while we enjoyed ourselves, Kara. At least this time he had the good sense to wait in my receiving room.”

“Oh.” She stared out towards their open bedroom door. “Isn’t it early yet?”

“It is; I’d best go see what the problem is.” He frowned at her worried look. “Relax, my darling. It will be fine.” She nodded and allowed him to scoop her off of the bed and carry her into the bathroom. “Enjoy a nice hot bath; I’ll join you as soon as I deal with our interruption.”

“Tell him it had better be important, or the next thing he’s going to feel is how frustrated I was the last time he interrupted us.”

Loki laughed as he headed out to talk to his brother. He just might do that just to see Thor’s reaction. His smile faded as he saw Thor’s troubled expression. “What’s happened?”

“I apologize for interrupting your time with Lady Kara,” he rumbled. “I-I would not have done so had it not been important.”

“I know that, Thor. You are forgiven. So, what is the emergency?”

“A War Council is being convened. You will be summoned shortly to speak of the enemy so that our allies might be fully prepared.”

“I can see the need for it, then what…oh. Who has Helblindi sent to represent him?”

“Hogun has just confirmed that the crown prince has come himself.”

That was not good. His half-brother, who he’d not even officially met, though he’d seen him on their ill-fated journey to Jötunheim, coming to a War Council on Asgard, the realm where his father had been killed, well, assassinated, if truth be told. “His visit is twofold, no doubt; preparations for a future incursion by the Mad Titan’s forces and payback for my actions.” His jaw clenched as the possible outcomes of this visit raced through his mind. “With the Jötnar heir presumptive present, my actions with regard to them will be held to full account.”

“Our actions. I am the one who directed your attention there. I am equally to blame.”

“You saved their miserable realm from certain destruction at my hands. I believe they will forgive you.”

“Nevertheless, I will insist on bearing my part of any punishment.”

His eyes closed as he fought back his exasperation. “Brother, Asgard needs you whole. You have learned much in the past few cycles. You will be a decent king. I am superfluous,” he said with a glance over his shoulder to his bathing chamber. “Well, superfluous to Asgard. You cannot risk yourself to defend me for in doing so you risk the Realm Eternal.”

“And the Tribunal will know that, Loki. That will temper their decisions and make the sentence one that can be borne without undue hardship. I am not such a fool that I believe you will receive a slap on the wrist for this. But I also understand enough to know that they will not risk me.”

Loki stared at Thor. “You’ve also become quite the manipulator, though you do it for the benefit of others.” He smiled sadly and held out an arm and let Thor pull him into an embrace.

“From you, that is quite the compliment, brother. Thank you.”

“It was meant as such. You will be a fine king. I hope that I will see the day that you sit Asgard’s throne.”

“If I have any say in the matter at all, you will not only see it, you will stand beside me as the most valued of my advisors. I need you, Loki. I am not so vain, at least, not anymore, that I do not see that your intelligence far surpasses mine. Your advice will keep me from rash acts now that I have learned to listen first and ask questions rather than just bulling my way forward. I need you and Asgard needs you, and if the Tribunal cannot be made to see that, we are all lost.”


	33. Chapter 33

Kara tried to keep her expression composed as Fandral escorted her to the Avengers’ rooms. He and Hogun had come to Loki’s room as Hogun had been assigned to escort Loki to the War Council. They’d allowed them a few minutes alone to say their official goodbyes. The guards that had accompanied Hogun didn’t have to know that they’d been warned by Thor and had already spent a good hour in each other’s arms, trying to believe their mutual reassurances that everything would be okay. It was pretty pathetic when she thought about it. With Loki being the Norse god of Lies and her abilities as an empathic psychologist, neither one of them had any difficulty in recognizing a lie. A wry chuckle escaped and Fandral gave her a quizzical look. “Loki and I just spent our last moments together lying to each other about how we were fine and could handle this.”

“I don’t understand, my lady.”

“We were both lying our backsides off to each other and we both knew it.”

Fandral nodded. “Perhaps, Lady Kara, you were each lying to yourself rather than to each other.”

She stared at him a minute as his suggestion sank in. He was right…and she really hadn’t thought him deep enough to see that kind of thing. Who knew? “You know, Fandral; I think you’re right.” He nodded and held the door open for her. Tony was sprawled in a deep chair, Steve was pacing, and Hawkeye was nowhere to be seen.

One end of the sofa was occupied by a pensive Sif. “They’ve been called, then?” the dark-haired Æsir asked Fandral.

“Indeed, Sif. It was as we thought.”

Kara walked through the suite to the balcony. The guys had nearly the same view as Loki, though they were on a lower floor. Not that it mattered considering this entire side of the Valhöll was set only a few yards off of the edge of a cliff. Every room on this face overlooked a spectacular vista. Looking up she noticed that Hawkeye had found a ledge just under the balcony above them upon which to perch. His moody expression was oddly reassuring. Despite his history with Loki, Clint didn’t like what was happening any more than she did. “I don’t think even you could hit anything from here,” she said as she looked back out over the railing. “There’s nothing within range but empty sky.”

He shrugged. “I think better this way.”

“Fair enough.”

“We should have brought Banner. If this goes bad it would have made him angry. I’d like to see him pound a few of these self-righteous pricks into their goddamn golden floor.”

She grinned. When she’d moved into the Tower the first time, workmen were just cutting out the section of the observation lounge floor that held two Loki-shaped holes. “Well, we don’t have him here, so we’ll just have to improvise.”

“Stark’s at full power and then some, Cap’s leg has been pronounced fully healed. You’re all better.” He stopped and frowned. “Uh, recovered from your migraine, I mean,” he said quickly. Clint held up his quiver. “And this thing refilled overnight. Looks like if you give it a day, the magic stuff resets itself.”

“Loki said he tied it to the power of something he called Yggdrasill, the world tree, so as long as the nine realms exist, it should keep refilling every day.”

“Handy. And generous.”

She shrugged. “He figured he owed you…big time.”

“Damn straight.”

“Clint, I…”

“It’s okay, doc…Kara. Most people have forgiven me for what I did under the influence. I guess I’m a big enough man to forgive him. Even if the bastard won’t admit he was controlled.”

“That’s just it; he wasn’t fully controlled, just under constant observation. He had to do what they expected, at least on the surface, so they wouldn’t take over someone who couldn’t try to outmaneuver them or worse yet, someone who would happily cooperate with them.”

“Did he send me after Nat on purpose?”

“Yes. He figured you’d hold back, at least subconsciously, and she’d be able to break you free.”

Clint dropped down from the ledge and stretched. “And baited the Hulk into pounding on him to break him free.”

“Yes, and purposely gave Tony enough time to get the bracelets on to call the Mark VII before he threw him out the window.”

“Crafty son of a bitch,” Tony commented from behind them.

She had to smile. “Yes, he is. If S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn’t muzzled him he might have been able to tell Odin the truth and then been armed and ready when the enemy pulled him back to punish him for failing.”

“But would Odin have believed him?” Tony sounded skeptical and she couldn’t blame him.

“That was a gamble. He figured Thor and Frigga would and if they couldn’t convince Odin to trust him, they still would have tried to help him be prepared to fight back, and then once he was taken, convince Odin that they needed to follow through.”

“So, why doesn’t he just tell the Tribunal this?” Steve asked as he joined them on the balcony. “I don’t get it.”

“You saw how Sif treated him. She immediately thought he’d told the enemy how to kill Thor…or any other Æsir, for that matter. He believes that most of them will think the same way and he’s too freaking proud to beg for them to understand, or even admit he couldn’t handle the enemy on his own.” She sighed. “He’s such an idiot, sometimes.”

“I hope they’ll listen to us, at least,” Steve said. “According to Sif, they’ve had one guy found guilty of treason in the dungeons for five-hundred years now, and another one was flayed to death.”

Kara stared at him, horrified, as her breakfast forced its way up out of her stomach. She ran for the bathroom and fell to her knees in front of the commode; barely reaching it before vomiting until her stomach was empty and only bile came out. She stayed there, shaking, as tears cascaded down her cheeks, unable to get an image of Loki with his skin flayed from his body out of her head. “Here, drink this,” she heard Tony say as he pulled back on her shoulder and held a mug to her lips. “It’s a small ale, and it’ll get that taste out of your mouth without too much alcohol hitting your system. Fandral went off to find you something to settle your stomach better.”

“Do you think they’ll do that to him, Tony?” she asked brokenly before rinsing her mouth out with the ale, spitting it out and then drinking a bit down to wash the bile out of her esophagus.

“Doubt it. Thor wouldn’t stand for it, and I seriously doubt his mom would either. It would be a cold day in hell before Odin ever had any peace if he let any punishment Loki might be sentenced to go that far.”

She shuddered then nodded. “You’re right, but still…God, I’m so scared for him.”

“Yeah, I think we got that. Come on, let’s go out to the main room so you can sit down and chill.”

… …

Steve looked up as Tony led Kara out of the bathroom and settled her into a chair. He didn’t get it. She’d seen lots of blood and guts, heck, from what Barton had said, Loki was in a pool of blood when they’d found him and she’d watched Banner reach in and hold the guy’s organs, even. Why had talking about it made her sick? His eyes widened. Oh. Oh boy. “Uh, Kara?” he began; happy that he was able to remember not to call her ‘doc’ when he was this unsettled. “You-do you think maybe you might be in a family way?” He fought back a blush, he was that embarrassed to even be asking.

She stared at him for a minute, her expression totally blank. “Why in God’s name would you think that?”

He shrugged. “Well, I don’t know if you’d thought to use protection, and you just got sick and it is morning and all…” he trailed off as she rolled her eyes at him. “Uh, I take it that’s a no?”

“That’s a no. Steve, Loki had his magic back by the time we did anything. He made sure I wouldn’t get pregnant and they don’t have STDs. I got violently sick because you made me picture the man I love dead and covered with bloody scraps where his skin used to be, thank you **_oh_** so much.”

Steve winced. “Oh, geez. I’m so sorry, I guess I didn’t think. You know they won’t really do that, right? I mean, not to Thor’s brother.”

“Forget it, Steve. The damage is done. That picture isn’t going away anytime soon.” Kara looked so miserable it made his heart hurt. She sat with her arms tightly wrapped around her abdomen and her knees drawn up against them.

“The captain is correct,” Sif said from her seat on the couch. “While they will not simply slap his hands, they would not be that cruel to Thor’s brother. The worst sentence he is likely to get is indefinite imprisonment.”

“Well **_that_** makes me feel **_so_** much better,” Kara snapped. Her frown deepened and she lifted her head to look at Sif. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way, it is better. It’s just…I guess I’m feeling sorry for myself.”

“I do not understand what you see in him,” Sif grumbled. “He causes much trouble, and not all of it benign.”

“Hmm. Let’s see. He’s gorgeous, brilliant, clever, and funny as all get out. Oh, and don’t forget sexy.” She frowned at the Æsir. “He’s also vulnerable. Did any of you ever pay much attention of any kind to him before he earned his rep for mischief? When people are starved for attention, even negative attention makes them feel better, less…invisible.”

“You understand him.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes. And because I understand him, know how he feels…hell, I’ve felt as he feels, I love him. All your people have done is made him feel worthless, and more recently, like he’s a monster. He’s not.” Kara stared at her hands and brought up a small ball of fire, smiling grimly when everyone stepped or leaned back. “For more than half my life I thought that being able to do this made me a monster; that I was too dangerous to be loved…well, in a physical sense. Loki taught me that I was more than I thought; that I was no monster.”

“The fire giants of Mûspelheim are monsters, as are the Jötnar. While you have powers similar to the former, you obviously aren’t one of them.”

“You don’t get it. It’s the same lesson he taught you.”

“Loki taught me no lesson, he stole something from me, you could not understand.”

“No? Tell me, Sif. Would you rather be known and remembered as the greatest female warrior in all of Asgard, or as the useless girl with the prettiest hair?” Kara nodded at Sif’s surprise. “Did you have any thoughts of learning to fight before that incident? No, I didn’t think so. You would have lived your long life in relative safety, being made much of only because of the unusual color of your hair. Objectified, thought little of on the whole. But because of what Loki did, you had to find something else. Now you are respected, looked up to, honored for your accomplishments.”

“I’d never considered that,” she admitted.

“I know. By the way, it was an accident. You never let him explain. It was supposed to be an illusion, but he made a mistake, granted, a really bad one, but a mistake nonetheless. Let it go.”

… …

 Loki took a deep breath as they reached the entrance to the Council Chambers. One of the guards opened the doors and waited for them to enter. As he stepped forward, Hogun touched his arm. “Together,” he said. Burying his surprise with a confident nod, Loki waited a beat and then stepped forward with Hogun the Grim at his side, a show of solidarity to which he was not accustomed, but for which he was grateful.

Some of those gathered rose respectfully as he entered, others did not. Odin All-Father, of course was one of those who remained seated, but that was his right. The Ljósálfar representative rose, albeit with a show of reluctance. Loki was certain the courtesy was only due to Thor striding forward to throw an arm around his shoulders in a brotherly embrace. Hela also rose and bowed to him. Though they had little contact as she preferred to remain in her own sovereign realm of Niflheim, she always gave him a daughters’ respect. Damn…he hadn’t told Kara that he was a father. Malekith, representing the Svartálfar, did not rise, however that meant nothing as two Æsir armed guards hovered over him. He had apparently not been able to convince Odin that he had nothing to do with his people bringing an artifact to Asgard.  Odin was not as foolish as Malekith thought. The Dökkálfar in attendance remained seated as well, but as the dwarf was quite elderly there could be no insult taken. Frey, ruler of the Vanir, did not rise, but a king did outrank a mere prince. A full half of Odin’s counselors rose. Those that did not were likely part of the Tribunal and could not lest they be thought to show partiality. Loki nodded carefully to all of those present and made a respectful bow to Odin, Frey and Hela, as was required by their rank. “Good morrow, All-Father,” he said to Odin. “How may I serve Asgard this day?”

Odin nodded in approval of his greeting. “Your knowledge of our common enemy is needed. Please be seated so that this Council may direct their questions to you in comfort.”

Loki struggled to keep his expression bland as he took the indicated seat. Odin had not addressed him by name or as his son. That didn’t augur well. He glanced around the table, trying to read expressions and was surprised into a frown. Where was Helblindi? None of the Jötnar were in the chambers. “Are we all here, my liege?” he asked.

“For now. I wished something settled before the others join us. There has been a concern as to where your loyalties might lie and as to whether you will deal fairly with all of our allies considering the events of the past cycle.”

“Speak you of Jötunheim or Midgard, All-Father?” Best to get it all out on the table, he decided. He was so damn tired of everyone dancing around both subjects.

“Let us speak of Jötunheim first. This Council has been apprised of your heritage. The first question they have asked is whether you will seek the Jötnar throne as you are Laufey’s eldest son and therefore the legal heir.”

“I much doubt the Jötnar would accept a half-breed king any more readily than the Æsir. So, no, I have no such intention.” He shrugged. “Besides which, Laufey died in this hall, at my hands. That would also not endear me to his people.”

Odin…smiled? “Indeed, you did strike down Laufey, while he attempted to kill me as I was trapped in the Odinsleep.” Loki frowned as Odin exchanged a look with Frey. “Frey, how did Laufey ascend to his throne, do you recall?”

“Of course. He killed his father during a disagreement over a female they both wanted. Laufey took the throne, but then changed his mind about the female, as I remember.” The Vanir king shrugged. “It was a very long time ago.”

Loki blinked in shock. That hadn’t been part of the tales they were told as children. All the more reason the bastard deserved to die. “So,” Odin said. “I ask you again, Loki, born Laufeyson. Will you seek the Jötnar throne?”

“I will not. Their people have good reason to hate me - for the harm I have done to them, if not for the death of their king. I will not subject them to the rule of one they must surely despise.”

“Our people have wondered,” began Nyvorlas, the younger of the Ljósálfar princes. “Why you sought to destroy the Jötnar. They were no real danger to Asgard.”

“They have always been a danger to Asgard,” Thor spoke up, his tone harsh.

“Brother, no.” Thor frowned at him. “I had just learned the truth of my birth, abandonment and adoption. I was…distraught, to say the least and foolishly took out my anger and frustration on a people who had no defense against it. Thankfully Thor was able to stop the process before even more damage was done. I am grateful to him.”

“Do you regret what has happened to Laufey and his realm?” Hela asked quietly.

“I do not regret killing Laufey. I am told by those I trust that he abandoned me to die and likely also killed the Æsir woman who gave birth to me as no trace of her was found. His crimes, not just to me, but against many throughout the Nine Realms, made him deserving of death. As he tried to bring about my demise, I had every right to take his life in recompense with no regrets and no apologies.” He paused and took a calming breath. “My attack on Jötunheim, _that_ I regret and deeply. I do not know if there is aught I can do to make amends, but if given the chance I will do what I can.”

“Prettily spoken, _brother_ ,” a voice snarled from a screened off section of the room. Three Jötunn walked around the screen and one took the final seat at the table. “But you have yet to convince me that you will not attempt to take my throne.”

“I will say it one more time Prince Helblindi, that none may mistake me. I have no intention of seeking my birth-father’s throne, and even were it to be freely offered me, I would hesitate to take it. I will not contest you or your younger brother’s right to it unless you use it to attack any of the other Realms.”

His half-brother’s blood red eyes bore into him for a moment and then looked toward Odin. “I have yet to see proof that your adopted son is indeed my father’s get. He looks Æsir or Vanir. Where is your proof, All-Father.”

Loki stiffened as Odin looked his way. This was something he’d wanted to avoid. Being thought a monster by the Council and having it proved to them were two entirely different things. “This must be settled, Loki. You will show your other form to this gathering.”

Odin’s order left no room for disagreement. “As you command, my liege,” he said quietly and stood so that all could see. He let the change flow through him, frowning down at the table as he felt his body temperature plummet. A collective gasp from the group made him grind his teeth in an effort to avoid a more noticeable reaction to their disgust.

Helblindi had also arisen and he could feel the weight of his half-brother’s glare. “Remove your tunic,” he demanded. “I cannot see your clan markings clearly.” He assumed Helblindi was referring to the pattern of the ridges. Loki had noticed that his half-brother’s ridges were laid out very much like his own while those of the Jötnar guards were vastly different. He pulled off the tunic without comment and laid it across his chair, then met the other’s gaze. The Jötnar crown prince stared at him, his eyes tracing the pattern that ran from his forehead, down his torso, and disappeared into the waist of his trousers. Helblindi nodded. “I-apologize for doubting your word, Odin All-Father. Loki is indeed my brother by blood.”

Odin nodded. “Your apology is not necessary. You were not yet born when I took Loki from Jötunheim. You had no reason to know of his birth.”

“Might I get…comfortable again, my liege?” Loki asked.

“Of course.” Odin looked around the table and frowned. “Loki is the same as he has always been. Asgard will take it as a direct insult should any of you treat him differently.” The All-Father turned to Helblindi, who nodded.

“Jötunheim would take it as an insult as well.”

“If that is settled,” Haakun, first among Odin’s advisors, said. “We should turn our attention to the attack on Asgard by the Mad Titan.”

Loki smiled as Hogun stepped forward to help him with his tunic once he had returned to his Æsir form. “I am quite ready to address all of your questions regarding our enemies.”

… …

Frigga swept through the corridors to the Healers’ Hall. Eir was waiting for her, as requested. “Well, can it be done?” she asked their goddess of Healing.

Eir smiled. “It can, and easily. She’s not a normal human; her nervous system is, for want of a better term, wide open. From what your son tells me it is a combination of a natural mutation and the result of being experimented upon with what the healers of Midgard call psychotropic drugs when she was just past puberty. There will be little of the normal risks involved. She may grow faint as her body adjusts to the re-patterning of her nerves, but with some rest, all will be well.”

“Good. My Loki has enough to vex him without worrying about his lady’s health.” She smiled at the thought that one of her stepsons had finally found a true and mutual love. Her mirth spilled over into a delighted laugh as it occurred to her that her youngest had finally and legitimately beaten the elder at something, and it was such a thing that was vitally important to his happiness.

“He will have no more to worry about in that regard, my lady. Should she avoid further injuries, the Lady Kara will live a long and healthy life once she has partaken of the elixir. Subject of course, to the limitations that face every living being.”

“Of course, my friend; I thank you. I hope that when the time comes, Thor will have a much easier time of it when it comes to love.”

Eir looked troubled. “Ah, my queen? I hear tell that Thor is himself enamored of a mortal. And that his Midgardian is strictly a normal human. I do not think that his path, should the rumor be true, will be an easy one.”

“I know, Eir. I have spoken to Thor; I am not so certain that this Jane Foster he cares for is truly his one love. He does not have the fire in either his heart or his expression that Loki bears for his Kara. Or for that matter, that Odin bears for me. But, we shall see if she is naught but a childish love or much more in due time. I shall not give much concern to it until such time as we must.”

… …

Bruce groaned as the late morning sun nearly blinded him. He groaned again when he realized that he’d fallen asleep on the sofa in the game room watching movies. A warm weight shifted across his legs and he looked down, almost afraid of what he’d see. Oh. Crap. Yes, he was afraid, very afraid. His shirt was gone, as was his belt. The fly on his trousers was undone, and an underwear-clad Darcy Lewis was sprawled across him, half in his lap, half snuggled into his side. Swallowing, he tried to remember what had happened in a glögg induced haze. “Oh my God.”

“Humph, that’s goddess, buster,” Darcy informed him as she looked up at him with a smirk. The events of the previous evening passed by his staring eyes in a veritable flood of images. The movie viewing, that was clear, as was the snacking, the laughing, and the trip made by Darcy and Natasha to the kitchen to retrieve the stash of glögg that Kara had made before the Asgardians’ departure. No one had had the heart to drink any of it since. Jane, Darcy and Natasha had loved the stuff, and Jane, of all people, had coerced them into a drinking game. He’d never been very good at those. Bruce’s mind snapped back to the present as Darcy shifted more fully in his lap. “We never did manage to get to your room,” she whispered as she nibbled on his ear.

“Oh. My. God.” The rest of the evening came into crystal clear focus. Jane had snuck out at some point, looking distinctly queasy. Darcy had laughed, called the older woman a lightweight and had explained to the others that Jane ended up every serious session of drinking by running off, vomiting, and then falling into bed. At that point things had gone downhill. Well, depending on your point of view, he supposed. Pepper and Natasha had been all over each other, it was like watching a girl on girl soft porn flick. While Pepper was totally and obviously sloshed, he suspected Nat was still very much in control of herself. Her one comment when Pepper had protested that she couldn’t be unfaithful to Tony was that Tony ‘won’t mind, so long as we let him join in’. That was not something Bruce really needed to hear.

“Geez, regrets already?” Darcy asked.

He stared down into her bright moss-green eyes. “Um, well…I-uh.” Crap, he was so articulate this morning. “No, it’s just that…hmm.” Her full mouth was set in a mutinous pout. God, he could still feel those soft lips on his skin. “Wow. I’m kind of just remembering everything. I guess I drank so much that I didn’t really know where I was or what had happened when I first woke up.” He remembered now. God. In. Heaven. After Nat and Pepper had left, Darcy had literally jumped up and straddled him. Her glasses were missing and her lips…those lush, soft, oh-so-talented lips. “Oh. My. God.”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Great. Fine. I get it, you wish it hadn’t happened. No problem. I’ll get lost.”

She pushed away and started to climb to her feet. Oh, no. Hell no. Bruce grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back down on his lap, then flushed when she twisted to glare at him. “No,” he managed. “That’s not it at all. I was, um, remembering how incredibly great it was.”

Those fascinating lips curled up in a smile worthy of a cat that had enjoyed a dish of cream. “Oh, well, that’s different.”

“And that I never returned the, ah, favor,” he managed to say without stammering…too much.

Those lips caressed his in blissful promise. “Well, then maybe we should head to your room so that little oversight can be corrected.”

“You’re sure?”

She grinned. “I really think we proved that the Other Guy doesn’t react to extreme sexual stimulus last night. I’m sure.” Darcy pulled back and once on her feet tugged at his hands until he joined her.

He smiled ruefully as they headed for the elevator with Darcy glued to his side. Oh boy.

… …

Pepper groaned. Her head was pounding and her mouth was dry. Just how much did she drink last night? The glögg was so sweet and yummy, she’d lost track. She smiled in spite of the jackhammer pounding the inside of her skull. It really did the trick of loosening her up, though. She didn’t think she’d ever enjoyed foreplay so much before. Who knew she could come so hard from oral sex? Turning over Pepper wondered how to tell Tony that he had to do that more often. Wait. Tony was on Asgard. What. The. Fuck. Lifting her head slowly so that it wouldn’t crack open, she opened her eyes to see the owner of the hand that was cupping her breast so possessively. Head forgotten she sat up. “Holy crap!”

The cap of burgundy hair lifted and Natasha Romanov stared up at her. “Mind not yelling? My head is splitting.”

“What, how, oh crap,” Pepper babbled as she tried to remember what had happened. She wasn’t sure what exactly they’d done, but damn, her thighs and labia and backside were marathon sex-worthy sticky.

One sculpted red eyebrow rose. “What is sex, lots of it. How is oral…and toys. Your toy box gets an honorable mention, though you could use a bit more diversity.” Nat frowned at her. “You didn’t have a problem with it last night, you were begging for seconds and thirds, so I don’t understand why you’re saying oh crap now.”

“I-I’ve never done anything like this before. I mean, not with another woman.”

Nat snickered. “I gathered that. But you took instruction on cunnilingus very well. It didn’t take too long for you to bring me to an intense orgasm. If you do half that well with fellatio, Stark doesn’t deserve you.”

Pepper sat back against the headboard. This was really too much to take in with a headache this bad. Still… “Was I really pretty good at it?”

“I never lie about sex. Well, not when I’m off duty. How about I put together my famous hangover remedy for us, then I can remind you just how good you are? Oh, but keep in mind…I’m better.”

“Oh my God. Tony is going to blow a gasket.”

“If we tell him.” Nat looked thoughtful. “Of course, he’d just want a replay, with him in the bed with us.”

“Oh. My. God.”

“Of course, if he so much as mentioned that desire, Clint would turn him into a pincushion. No, we’d better keep this to ourselves.” Nat slipped off of the bed and grabbed Tony’s robe. “One hangover remedy for two, coming up. Then back to bed?”

Pepper stared at the other redhead for a minute, then wriggled a bit as she remembered just how good it had felt. “Sounds like a plan.”


	34. Chapter 34

“Bring it in here,” Thor called over his shoulder as he strode into the chambers that had been assigned to his friends. He grinned as he looked around the room. All of his closest companions in Asgard, save Hogun, who was still with Loki, were here. “Ah, my friends, I have a mid-day meal coming for us. We shall just have time to eat before I must leave for Court.” The Master Armorer’s apprentice touched his arm, reminding him of the burden he bore. “Friend Tony, where shall we place Lady Kara’s armor?”

“Uh, you can put it in there,” the Iron Man said, pointing at his bedchamber. The man frowned. “What happened to it?”

Thor grinned. “My father was appalled that the lady had so little protection. He had our Master Armorer rebuild it. It now has the strength of Asgardian armor and has also been enhanced to repel common magical attacks.”

“Why would he do that after I threatened him?” Lady Kara asked with a frown after the apprentice had departed.

“Father has forgiven that in exchange for your service to the realm in saving my brother’s life. This gift he gives to you for saving mine. But fear not, he still feels you are owed for your service in battling our enemies so when he asks what you would have of him as a reward you may still ask him to be healed of your injuries.” He looked at the other Avengers. “Each of you is also to be offered a reward. Think well on what you would have. Tony, Loki advises that you should ask for the right to our metal-working processes. Should you guarantee that such would not be used by other than the Avengers, I believe he will grant this boon. For the Hawkeye and Captain Rogers, I do not know your desires, but you should think upon them. The All-Father will announce this reward to you at the beginning of Court. He will grant you the length of Court to decide.”

“Okay, I’m confused. I thought this thing today was called a Tribunal,” the captain said.

“It is. The Tribunal will be held as part of this day’s Court. Court is a formal gathering where official business of the realm is conducted; amongst that business is the Tribunal to decide Loki’s fate.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

Servants began bringing in their meal as well as a large table and extra chairs. Thor frowned as he noticed that Lady Kara was still hugging her knees where she sat huddled in a chair. He moved to her side and dropped down to her level. “What is wrong, my lady?” he asked quietly.

She shook her head. “I’m just scared for him, Thor. I don’t think I should eat anything. I was already sick once today thinking about what could happen.”

He sighed and waited until the servants had left then stood. “My friends eat, please. Lady Kara and I need to speak privately.” He held out a hand for her and then led her out onto the balcony. They sat on the chairs and she turned to stare out at the mountains. “Kara, I have every confidence that my father will be merciful. He sees that Loki has changed, I am certain.”

“Does he have the final say?”

“Well, no, not entirely. He must consider the recommendations of the Tribunal. He can lighten any sentence they recommend, but not dismiss it entirely.”

“So if they recommend torture, it will only be a little torture?” she retorted.

“There will be no torture, well, not as you understand it. Truly, Kara, do not worry overmuch. Other than restitution, I do not believe Loki will receive any sentence greater than imprisonment.”

“I’ve heard there’s an ongoing sentence of imprisonment that has lasted five hundred years already.”

Thor frowned. “Well, yes, but that was an extreme circumstance. The Æsir so sentenced opened the Bifröst for our enemies to travel at their will and great damage was done in three realms. There were hundreds of deaths of those who would otherwise have been virtually immortal. Treaties were negated, we quite nearly had a war between five of the nine realms. And the guilty man shows no remorse whatsoever; to this day he swears he will take revenge for his defeat. He will never be released; he is too great a danger.”

“What if they think Loki is lying about his acceptance of responsibility? He _is_ your god of Lies.” Her tone was morose and Thor could not blame her. Many would think that Loki lied. However, his brother no longer stood alone. “They won’t believe me if I tell them he’s not lying, would they?”

“No, my lady. But we do have a few truth-seers of our own. They will be present.”

“Oh-oh, that makes me feel a little better.”

“Good,” he enthused. “Let us eat then, Court will be a long affair and you must keep up your strength.”

… …

Kara tugged on the left hand glove…gauntlet, Sif had informed her it was called. The detailing on the new scaled armor was amazing. Each of the main components was edged with etchings of runes which held the magic that provided additional protection. The overall armor was far lighter and more flexible than even Tony’s second version. He’d been amazed. After Thor had left another servant had arrived from Queen Frigga with a soft and supple leather cat-suit to wear under it. The woman had grinned cheekily when she’d informed them that it was ‘a gift from the queen to Prince Loki’s lady’. The leather was dyed a deep forest green. “Well, I guess I don’t match you anymore, Tony,” she said as she lifted the glittering helmet…helm, she had to start thinking of it in Asgardian terms or they were going to roll their eyes at her again.

Her honorary brother shrugged. “That’s okay. I rock the red much better than you do anyway. The green looks pretty good with your hair. Besides, we didn’t have any Avengers that wear green…Bruce doesn’t count, when he ‘suits up’ he _is_ green, he doesn’t wear green.”

“True. Hey, Steve, Hawk? If one of you can’t think of anything to ask for, maybe we could get some clothes for Bruce that will stretch and shrink with him so he doesn’t keep ending up naked?”

Steve and Clint looked at each other and shrugged. “I could ask for that,” Steve said. “If they give Tony the metal working secrets, he can do some improvements to my uniform. Your armor is barely armor anymore but it’s tough as all get out.” Steve had smacked it with his shield earlier and had ended up all but flying backwards as he hadn’t thought to brace himself.

“I can’t think of anything either. I mean, Loki already gave me the almost bottomless quiver thing. Maybe something for Nat? Some kind of weapon? Tony can upgrade our suits, too, if he gets the armoring stuff.”

“I think we can handle weapons and armor,” Tony offered. “What about something to do with healing; you know, in case a battle goes really south and neither Kara nor our _wonderful_ modern medicine can do squat?”

“Now that’s a good idea,” Steve agreed. “In fact, let me go run down to their Healers’ area and talk to some folks there and see if there’s anything specific we should ask for. Fandral? You wanna come with me so I don’t get lost and make sure I get to Court in time?”

“Of course, Captain. Sif and Volstagg can escort the others to the Great Hall.”

Kara frowned at herself in the mirror as the two bounded off, both looking and sounding enthused. At least someone was in a good mood. “Loki’s colors look good on you, Lady Kara,” Sif said from behind her.

She turned to look at the tall woman. “Thanks. I hope he approves, I wouldn’t want him to have anything more to stress about than he already does.”

One corner of Sif’s mouth quirked up. “He will be pleased. No woman has declared for him in such a public way before, and Fandral tells me that Loki loves you deeply. He will be honored you have chosen to do this.”

“It’s more Frigga who chose it, but yeah, if I’d known the significance, I’d have wanted it.”

“Good.” Sif frowned, looking uncomfortable. “Kara, I owe you my thanks. I had never considered what I’d gained from Loki’s prank before, only what I had lost. All that I have truly lost, I think, is my vanity. And that, perhaps, is a good thing.”

“It’s a very good thing.” Kara grinned. “Besides, you’re still beautiful, just not in quite the same way. Now you’ve got beauty with character.”

“Character…hmm. Yes, I think I like that.” Sif frowned as a messenger entered, muttered something to Volstagg and then left. “Is it time?” she asked the big man as he set down the haunch of meat he’d been enjoying.

“Aye, Lady Sif. Come, my friends, we must leave for Court.”

… …

Loki left his bathing chamber fighting his nerves. He’d eaten only enough to keep his strength up. This was going to be a long afternoon. His dress armor gleamed and his dress leathers looked like new. He sighed as he lifted his dress helm. “Perhaps I should forgo this,” he said as Hogun stood up to meet him. “This may make me look defiant or too arrogant.”

Hogun frowned. “It’s a formal Court. All wear full dress armor.”

“Good point. I will be seen as trying to manipulate their feelings if I do not, hmm?”

“Agreed.”

He nodded and settled the horned helm on his head. “Hogun, I am sorry you were forced to stay with me. I imagine you would…”

“I volunteered.”

“You-really? Why?”

Hogun shrugged. “It’s very little support for a-a friend, but I hope not too late.”

Loki stared at the taciturn warrior as he finished what amounted to an eloquent speech. “No, not too late, and I thank you, friend.” Hogun nodded and gestured toward the door. “Yes, I suppose we do need to go. Will they be allowed to attend, have you heard?”

An eyebrow lifted. “The Avengers were summoned.”

“Ah. Good.” He grimaced. “I think. Hopefully Kara will not seek to challenge the sentence when it is given. She needs Odin’s good graces to be healed. I worry for her.”

“Do not. The queen favors her.”

“Truly? Good, then perhaps all will be well for her. That’s all I really want from this.”

“Foolish.”

“What? In what way?” Loki was astounded at the statement.

“Do you not want the woman?”

He groaned. “Of course I want her. But I seriously doubt I’ll be given that opportunity. I-I suppose I’m afraid to want more than her health. If I allow myself to hope for more, the disappointment will be far greater. I’ve suffered too many disappointments, Hogun. I do not deal well with them.”

Hogun began shaking; finally Loki interpreted the motion as laughter. “Really?” he finally choked out.

“Oh, shut up.” Loki glared as Hogun continued to laugh silently.

… …

Tony stared at the vast expanse of the Great Hall. Wow, it was big. You could fit several square blocks of New York City within it, including the skyscrapers. “Jarvis are you recording this?” he asked softly.

“Yes, sir,” the AI responded in his ear. Tony sighed happily. The latest ‘fix’ by Kara was working. Now all he had to do was remember to not use any snarky nicknames. His lips twitched. Or just get used to Jarvis calling him Anthony. That might actually be easier. He darted a glance at his teammates. Steve was gawking unashamedly. Clint was, well Clint, eyeing all of the high places, looking for vantage points he could get to. Kara, like he did, had her visor closed. Tony just hoped she wasn’t crying behind it. The new armor looked great on her. The green of the cat-suit was visible in strategic areas and would be a lot more evident once she’d removed the helm. “Sir, Prince Thor has just entered with Queen Frigga. It appears he will be on the dais with her and the king.”

“Yeah, I see that, thanks, J.” He put an armored hand on Kara’s shoulder. “You got your ears on, sis?” he asked.

“Yes. Is the mike working?”

“It is; did you have any doubts?”

“Well, you did have less than five minutes to get it set up and had to improvise tools; so no, not really.”

He grinned at the humor that laced her response. Kara was hanging in there. Sif was stopping near the front of the hall. She nodded to an alcove and they filed into it. “Front, but not center. Not bad.”

“This area is reserved for honored guests,” Fandral told them. “The representatives of the other realms who do not hold crowns are in the alcove on the other side of the hall. You will need to remove your helms now, my friends.”

Tony retracted his visor and looked across to see what looked like Tolkien versions of a Dwarf and an Elf, and three huge blue dudes that had to be frost giants. “Lemme guess, the blonde is a Ljósálfar? And the blue guys are Jötunn? What’s the other guy?”

“The Ljósálfar is their youngest prince. The second tallest of the Jötnar is Loki’s half-brother, Helblindi, their crown prince. The Dökkálfar is their senior counselor. Technically, you would call the Dökkálfar Dark Elves, though they are not truly Álfar.”

“Wait, I thought the Svartálfar were the Dark Elves?” Steve interjected.

“Yeeess, but truly, the direct translation is Black Elves. It matches their black hearts,” Fandral said with a slight growl to his voice. Tony turned to stare. This was the nastiest tone he’d ever heard out of the would-be Valentino.

“We’re not liking the Svartálfar much, even before yesterday’s battle, huh, Fandral?”

“They have been forsworn before. I do not know why the All-Father has not placed their ruler in the alcove; I find it hard to stomach that he is going to give Malekith a sovereign’s courtesy.”

“Okay, what’s that?”

“The realm sovereigns in attendance will enter immediately before the All-Father and will be seated to each side. This will include Frey, King of the Vanir and Hela, Queen of Niflheim, and apparently Malekith the Accursed. That one should be thrown into the Void; he is naught but evil.”

“Fandral speaks truly,” Sif agreed. “His presence on the dais will be an obscenity.”

Horns were blown and a male and female figure walked out onto the dais from opposite sides. The male was big, blonde and muscular on the same scale as Thor, and wore a horned helm. Tony pegged his age as about halfway between Frigga and Odin. The woman was young, younger even than Thor, and she wore a green gown and a black multi-horned crown. She had inky black hair and…oh. Crap. He darted a look at Kara who was staring at the woman. “Sif…is there something Loki forgot to tell us?” he asked.

Sif stared at him then her eyes widened as she looked at Kara. “Ah, perhaps.” The woman uncharacteristically bit her lip.

“Out with it,” Kara insisted.

“It was not really his choice,” she finally said. “Angrboða, Hela’s mother, is a powerful sorceress and she hid her form and seduced Loki when he was little more than a boy, before his own powers were fully developed. It was because of a prophesy made by the Norns…they thought Hela would bring great discord to the realms. That was Angrboða’s deepest wish.”

“And has she?” Tony asked.

“No. Hela hates her mother. Angrboða has attempted to use and control her. She’s rather impartial when it comes to Loki.” Sif shrugged. “Mind you, Hela does not dislike her sire; she simply prefers to have little to do with any of the other realms.”  

“So, where’s the accursed guy?” he asked as the horns were blown again. Odin stepped out from the back of the dais and strode to his throne. Everyone who had been seated stood and remained standing until the All-Father took his seat.

Sif looked around the hall. “Not here at all. This is likely a good sign.”

… …

Kara bit the inside of her cheek as one of the people Sif had identified as members of the Tribunal called for Loki to be brought in. Loki had marched up the aisle, Hogun at his side, both of them in full dress armor. He looked strong and fearless, but she could feel the anxiety that wasn’t betrayed by so much as a twitch of a muscle. Two guards had followed the men. After Loki and Hogun had bowed to Odin and then taken their places just off to left side of the dais in front of the alcove opposite theirs, the guards saluted and left. “I’m confused,” she whispered to Sif. “Do they trust him to not just leave?”

Sif shook her head. “The Great Hall is enclosed by magic. No one can enter or leave without the All-Father’s blessing. Even Loki is not much of a threat here, considering how many powerful Æsir are about.”

She nodded. So much for hoping that the lack of guards was a good sign. Odin stood. “Before the Tribunal begins hearing testimony, we have Heroes from Midgard to honor.” He nodded in their direction and Sif pointed toward the spot between them and the dais.

“Do as I demonstrated,” she whispered. The four of them filed out, bowed respectfully, and then waited.

“These four heroes of Midgard voluntarily left their own lands, using an unproven mode of transportation and with no guarantee that they would ever see their homes and loved ones again to aid Asgard in our time of need. They not only brought the artifact that was used to close the enemy’s gate, they fought valiantly, protecting our people, and in fact directly saved my son’s life when he was struck down by Svartálfar magic users. People of Asgard and honored guests, I present to you Captain Steve Rogers, known as Captain America, Tony Stark, the Man of Iron.” Kara bit her lip as Tony winced. “Clint Barton, the Hawkeye, and finally, Kara Gunnarssen, known as Hellbringer, who is not only a firestarter but a gifted empath and healer.”

Thor stepped forward on the dais. “Three cheers for the Avengers, our Heroes from Midgard!” he bellowed. The crowd responded with calls of ‘huzzah’ and when the sound died down Thor nodded to them and stepped back beside Frigga.

“For their service to Asgard, I am minded to grant each of them a special boon. Captain Rogers, what would you have of me?” Odin asked, his form of address showing that he’d either been briefed or was more up on their customs than Kara had suspected.

Steve stepped forward and began the speech he had memorized. “Your Majesty; in our role as guardians of Midgard, we often face enemies who are far more powerful than we, who do not fight honorably and whose actions and reactions cannot be predicted. As we are mortal, the likelihood that one of these enemies could inflict an injury that we cannot survive long enough to be healed from…well, it’s honestly just a matter of time. I understand that your realm possesses the ability to imbue an object with magic that will allow a person’s condition to be, um, frozen, so that they will get no worse before their injuries can be treated. If you would be willing to provide us with such a thing, we would be grateful.” Kara smiled; Steve looked so relieved that he’d remembered it all.

Odin’s lips twitched and his one visible eye crinkled in what might have been amused approval. “I will grant this boon. Lady Eir will see to it that you have an amulet that will contain this magic before you depart for Midgard.” Steve bowed and stepped back. “Tony Stark, what would you have of me?”

Tony stepped forward. “Uh, your Majesty,” he managed with absolutely no show of snark or sarcasm. “I cannot help but notice that your realm’s metalworking abilities eclipse even my own and mine are the most advanced on Midgard. I understand that you cannot simply give away your secrets for our entire realm to use, but I would ask that you allow me access to the knowledge to create metal alloys suitable for improving our armor so that we can do our jobs of guardians more successfully. I am prepared to guarantee that this knowledge will only be used by the Avengers, and that it will only be used for defensive purposes should you be so kind as to agree.”

Kara blinked. Wow…a totally polite and respectful Tony. She hoped Jarvis was recording this. Odin frowned. “Forgive me for asking, but we do not know you or the worth of your guarantee. Tell me why we should trust you in this.”

“That’s a fair question. Several years ago I was involved in manufacturing weapons for our military and I wasn’t too choosy about what kind of collateral damage they did. I had the lesson delivered to me, quite personally, that my choice to do this was, uh, morally bankrupt. I closed all of the factories that made weapons then reconfigured them to produce only defensive or protective items so that my workers did not lose their livelihood. My weapons researchers have been redirected to researching clean energy to help improve our world’s environment. We’ve made great strides and will continue this work at least through my lifetime, hopefully longer if I find a like-minded protégé to take over the company when I retire.”

“This device in your chest is an example of your clean energy, is it not?” Odin asked.

“It is, sir. And as I developed it to save my life when I learned that lesson I mentioned; it’s a constant reminder to me of the wrongs I once committed.”

The All-Father nodded. “Very well, Tony Stark. You will have the knowledge you seek and you will forgive us if we keep a close watch on you to ensure you are using it only as agreed. Else we would be in violation of our accords with other realms.”

“I understand totally, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Sif hissed at him, reminding Tony to bow before he backed away.

“Clint Barton, what would you have of me?”

Clint looked uncomfortable. “Well, your majesty, I’ll be one of the ones who will benefit from the, uh, boons you’re granting to Stark and Rogers. So I’d actually like to ask something for another of the Avengers who wasn’t close enough to come with us here.”

“Generous of you, very well,” Odin said.

“This Avenger is, well, when he uses his special abilities his physical size fluctuates from about my height and weight to the height of the um, gentlemen from Jötunheim but with the muscular bulk of Thor or King Frey. This kind of results in unintentional uh, nudity as his clothing doesn’t survive the transition.” Clint frowned as a wave of amusement swept the Great Hall. “If you either have some kind of cloth that will stretch with him, or some kind of magic that will allow his clothing to change size with him; that would be greatly appreciated.”

Thor stepped up to Odin’s side and held a hushed conversation with him. “Ah,” Odin finally said. “This is your Hulk, the man powerful enough to injure a god with his bare hands.”

“Yes, sir. He was instrumental in single-handedly taking down several of the leviathans that attacked New York.”

“And he broke the connection our enemy had forced on my brother,” Kara heard Thor say softly…for Thor.

Odin looked at Loki and stroked his beard thoughtfully. “We have no such cloth and I am unfamiliar with any magic that might accomplish this. Loki, your research in the magical arts is second to none. Do you know of any spell that may do this?”

Loki looked startled to be addressed, but his eyes narrowed as he considered the possibilities. “I believe so, All-Father, though I would need to check one of my books to be certain. It would have to be cast on an amulet for the man to wear. That way, regardless of what he was clothed in; its size would change with him. From what I understand, he does not always have enough warning of when he will need to change his form to change clothing.”

“Fine. You will do this and present the amulet to the Hawkeye for his compatriot.”

“Of course, my liege,” Loki agreed with a bow.

“Clint Barton, if Loki can accomplish this, you will be given the amulet before you return to Midgard. If he cannot, we will ask you to choose another boon.”

“Thank you, your Majesty,” Clint said, remembering to bow before he stepped back.

“Kara Gunnarssen, what would you have of me?”

She stepped forward and bowed, realizing how self-conscious the guys must have felt. “I have already received a gift from you, All-Father,” she said. “This armor will do an amazing job of protecting me and is far more than I could ever ask.”

Odin smiled. “The armor you wear so well was gifted to you in return for the gifts you have given me and my queen. Our sons would be dead were it not for your skills. Not even our goddess of Healing could have saved them. Additionally, Lady Eir tells me that you have shared the secret of how you healed them with her and now that she knows the method, she is confident that she will be able to replicate it. So, your gifts to us continue. Anything within my power to give you is yours. Health, an extended lifespan, riches, anything I may give is yours.”

Biting her bottom lip she made a decision that was sure to piss off not only Loki, but Tony, Steve and Clint as well. Too bad; this was supposed to be something _she_ wanted. “Your majesty, I ask the boon of clemency for Loki.” An agitated murmur surrounded her. “He was not responsible for the attack on Midgard and he tried to mitigate it as much as he could, we have proof. And he suffered unspeakable injuries and torture at the hands of our mutual enemy. Please, he has suffered enough, grant him mercy.”

“No!” Loki shouted. “You need to be healed of your injury; your health needs to be restored. You will not sacrifice yourself in this way.”

“Silence!” Odin bellowed. “You have not been given leave to speak,” he told Loki who scowled back at him but subsided at Hogun’s urging. “Lady Kara, why do you ask such a thing when I am told you are afflicted with an injury that will mean your death?”

“I’m mortal, your Majesty. I was always going to die eventually. And...” she swallowed the tears that threatened. “I cannot live knowing that someone else will suffer more who does not deserve it. For what Loki has done, many are culpable. It’s a gross injustice that only he is expected to pay for it.”

… …

Odin glanced at Frigga. His beloved wife was right yet again. The human did love Loki and deeply. But, no matter, he could not grant this boon. “My apologies, Lady Kara, but this boon is not within my power to grant. The decision lies with the Tribunal. Choose something else.”

The woman’s already porcelain skin paled significantly and tears welled up in her eyes. Sif stepped forward and whispered softly in her ear. “You have a warrior’s heart, cry a river inside, but do _not_ let them see the evidence.”

Kara Gunnarssen glanced at Sif and nodded, blinking back the threatened deluge. “Then there is nothing you can give me, sir.” She bowed and stepped back into the alcove with her friends.

“Kara,” Loki hissed from his position on the other edge of the dais. “Ask to be healed!”

“I have asked for what I wanted,” she hissed back. “If you are…gone; why would I want to live?”

“You promised.”

Odin frowned. “Did you indeed promise to ask for healing, my lady?”

“No, I never promised that _**I**_ would ask to be healed.”

“Do you call this lady forsworn, Loki?”

He groaned. “No, All-Father, I do not. I do, however, call the lady as much a trickster as myself. Those were indeed not her words, though that was the intent of the promise I tried to extract from her.” He sighed. “Obviously, this is yet another thing at which I have failed.”

Odin found himself biting the inside of his cheek to hold back a grin at Loki’s expense. “I see. Well, then there is nothing we can do. Lady Kara, should you change your mind or think of another boon, you may ask it until the end of this Court.” The woman nodded, but remained stubbornly silent. He frowned and turned towards Haakun, his most trusted councilor and the head of the Tribunal. “Lord Haakun; is the Tribunal ready to sit in judgment?” he asked.

“We are, All-Father. We have heard what evidence has been provided and would ask for clarifications.”

“Very well.” Odin stepped back and sat back down in his throne. “Ask what and who you will.”

… …

Haakun stepped forward to address the populace. “First we would address Loki, born Laufeyson, raised Odinson.”

Loki straightened as his name was called. His anxiety grew as Haakun specified ‘raised Odinson’ rather than ‘now Odinson’.  Ah, well. Did he expect Odin to still claim him after his failure to redeem himself? No, it was no more than he deserved. Hogun stepped forward with him, nodding when he glanced in his direction. “Steady,” the warrior said under his breath. Loki nodded briefly and lifted his chin to look the councilor right in the eye.

“Your alleged crimes have been reviewed; several have been dismissed as others have claimed responsibility or the victims have agreed the charge to be unlawful. These charges remain. First, you are accused that unprovoked you unleashed the power of the Casket of Ancient Winters upon the people of Jötunheim, causing grave damage to their lands. Second, you are accused of traveling to Midgard, taking mental control of thirty-one mortals, then killing or caused to be killed eighty-four others. Third, you are accused of causing a gate to be opened to another galaxy, allowing aliens known as the Chitauri to invade the Midgard city of New York, causing incalculable amounts of damage and killing four hundred and twenty-three mortals. Do you contest any of these charges?”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “No, but I have a correction to the second charge.”

Haakun’s eyebrow lifted. “And what is that correction?” he asked.

“I took mental control of only eleven mortals. The other twenty involved were hired and acted freely. I am responsible for killing or causing to be killed ninety-six mortals.”

“Jesus Christ, you kept count?” Tony Stark’s incredulous voice carried in the stillness of the Hall.

He spun to glare at the man. “I was responsible for their deaths, yes, they were mortal and would have died eventually, but I and no one else brought that death to them years sooner than it would have taken them otherwise. _Yes, I kept count_!” he snarled.

Hogun’s hand gripped his upper arm firmly and caught his attention. “Easy,” he breathed. “He meant no insult.”

Loki nodded and looked back at Stark. He could see that the billionaire looked shaken. Knowing what he did of the man’s background and the innocent deaths that haunted him, he could understand Tony’s surprise. “I was there for every last one, Tony,” he said. “There’s a difference.” Stark nodded and relaxed. Loki returned his attention to the councilor. “My apologies, Lord Haakun.”

“None needed. Let the second charge be amended to eleven mortals controlled and ninety-six killed in the events that led up to the invasion.” Several members of the Tribunal nodded agreement and the scribe made notes. “Loki, born Laufeyson, raised Odinson, what defense would you make for these charges?”

“I have none.” He closed his eyes to the shocked expressions of his mother, his brother and his love as the hall erupted in pandemonium.


	35. Chapter 35

“Oh my God, what the hell is he doing?” Kara asked as she gripped Tony’s armored hand.

Tony looked down. “Ease up, kid, you’re going to hurt your hand.” She looked down, her eyes widening as she noticed the grip she was using with the enhanced metal of her gauntlet had managed to scratch the suit. She stepped back with a flush. “I don’t know what he’s up to,” Tony continued. “Jarvis, do we have the image file?”

“Yes, sir; I took the liberty of downloading all pertinent…”

“You’re a lifesaver, J, maybe literally. Fandral, can we defend him?”

“No, but they will give any who wish an opportunity to speak of his character as part of sentencing.”

“Uh…do we have to keep it strictly to that? If so, we may make it worse.”

“Tony!”

He shrugged. “Sorry, Kara. Your boyfriend is a royal pain in the ass…no pun intended.”

Fandral snickered. “No, the call for those to speak for him does not specify what you may speak about.”

“Well I can speak of…” Kara began.

“No,” Sif told her. “You, most of all, must not speak. It is obvious that you hold great bias in Loki’s favor. You were also not harmed by his actions. It is best if the others speak.”

“How about if I start, as our leader, and ask Clint and Tony to clarify points and show evidence?” Steve suggested.

“That is a good plan,” Fandral agreed. Sif nodded her own approval and stepped back.

“As the accused offers no defense, the Tribunal will move on to sentencing,” Odin announced. “Are there any who would speak on his behalf?”

Steve stepped forward. “I would!” he called out.

Odin frowned then nodded. “Speak then, Captain Rogers.”

Sif pointed to the spot where they’d stood to speak before and Steve stepped up to it. “The Loki who came to Midgard through the tesseract, uh, Cosmic Cube as you call it, is not the same man who stands here today. I mean that both figuratively and literally. As you’ve been told, that Loki used the scepter he was armed with to take control of the minds of nearly a dozen of our people. One of them is here with us, Clint Barton, known as Hawkeye.” He paused as Clint joined him. “When Loki took control of him, there was a physical change that we all noticed. His eyes shifted in color from a dark blue to a bright electric blue that matched the gem in the scepter.”

He paused and Odin frowned again. “And that tells us what, Captain?” he asked.

“May we show you an image of it, sir, so that everyone can see what I mean?”

“Very well.”

Tony stepped up. “Here is an image of Hawkeye immediately before Loki took control.” He gestured and an image of Clint was projected onto a wide smooth-surfaced column from his suit by Jarvis. “This image was taken immediately after.” Another image joined the first and showed Clint’s eyes glowing an eerie blue. Gasps arose from the crowd. “After a run-in with another Avenger and several hard knocks to the head, Clint was back with us and back to normal.” Clint stepped up next to the images and turned around so that everyone could see his eye color matched the first image.

“I see. The power of the scepter invading his body was visible in his eyes. Go on,” Odin commanded.

“Here is a picture of Loki, immediately after he came through the gate.” The images of Clint shrunk and moved to the bottom of the column and a large image of Loki was displayed, the electric blue clearly shown in his eyes.

“He is holding the scepter; could that not be a reflection of the gem?” King Frey asked in a rumbling voice.

“I’m glad you asked,” Tony said. “Here is another image. No scepter, as you can see, same funky blue eyes. And a third image, taken in the same room, Less than an hour later, after Thor pulled Loki up out of a hole in the floor that the Hulk made by pounding Loki’s body into said floor repeatedly. Or, you might say, after several hard knocks to the head.” The third image showed a bruised and battered Loki…his eyes their normal green. “And finally, so you don’t think the difference is because of the injuries, another image from after he returned to Ea…uh, Midgard and had spent a month healing from the injuries he received at the hands of our mutual enemies.” This picture showed Loki standing tall and strong, a small sad smile gracing his lips, his eyes still their normal green. Kara crossed her arms over her stomach, trying not to react to the picture she knew was taken just before he returned to Asgard.

“Are you then saying that Loki was controlled by the enemy?” Odin asked.

“I was not a mindless tool under the control of our enemy!” Kara bit her lip at Loki’s angry outburst.

Odin looked toward three Æsir who were standing on the opposite side of the dais from the Tribunal. The three conferred and one of them stepped forward. “Loki speaks the truth.”

She rolled her eyes and walked up beside Steve, pulling away from Sif after using a quick burst of heat to warn the warrior to let her go. “Of course he speaks the truth, but no one has asked him the right questions,” she told them. She ignored Loki’s glare and kept her eyes focused on Odin. “Ask him if the Mad Titan and the Other that Loki and Iron Man killed yesterday were able to see and hear what he did during that time. And ask him if they had a backup plan if he did not _appear_ to be doing as they expected.”

Odin’s eyebrow rose for a moment and he turned his attention back to Loki. “Answer those questions.”

“By your law, I am not required to respond,” Loki snarled.

“Prideful idiot!” Kara yelled before she could catch herself.

Odin frowned. “Fine. Let us assume then, for the sake of argument, that the answer, were Loki to give it, is yes. What difference should that make?” he asked them.

“All the difference in the world,” Clint said. “When Loki took control of me, the _mental_ order he gave me was to always, and I quote ‘fight the fight that is offered you, no more and no less’. Later, when he was escaping from our group, he gave me _verbal_ orders to, and again, I quote ‘ _find_ Natasha Romanov’. Not capture her, not kill her, just to _find_ her.”

“That seems…odd,” Odin said. He turned to glare at Loki as Loki started to interrupt. “You have forfeited your right to speak on this issue, keep silent.”

“No kidding. Especially since Loki also knew that Natasha and I have a history, that she considers that she owes me her life, so if she could avoid it, there is no way in hell that she would try to kill me. So since Loki didn’t order me to capture or kill her, and his previous order precluded me from trying to kill her if she didn’t try to kill me, she was able to knock me unconscious and free me from his control.”

“Why would he do this?” Odin asked, turning to glare down Loki again as the fuming god started to speak again. “If you do not keep silent until I give you permission to speak I will sew your lips together.” Loki’s eyes widened and he subsided, turning to glare at them sullenly.

“We don’t think they knew what was going on in his mind, just what he saw and heard and that he did this for the same reason he waited to throw me out a window until I had my new armor ready to activate. It was also the same reason he had the Hulk dumped out of the sky over New York City. That freaking brilliant son of a…gun was herding us into the right place at the right time and in the right frame of mind to kick ass,” Tony explained. “And not just the Chitauri, but his, too, to break him free.”

Kara smiled as she saw comprehension dawning on the faces of several Tribunal members. She couldn’t feel their emotions from here, but at least it looked like they understood. Loki felt embarrassed…and angry. “I see. Is there aught else you wish to say?”

Steve spoke up. “Yes sir. When he came to us over a month ago Loki was angry, argumentative, and just plain miserable to be around. By the time he left, we were all sorry to see him go, he’d changed so much. This is not the same Loki who came through the Cube. This isn’t even the same Loki that fell into the Void, and we don’t think he should be treated as though he was still that man.”

“Very eloquent, Captain. Thank you.” Odin looked out over the crowd. “Is there any other who would speak for Loki?” he asked. He frowned as Fandral stepped forward. “No, Fandral. I count your words in with those of the Avengers you spent time with. Anyone who was not on Midgard with Loki?”

“I saw something on the battlefield that must be said, All-Father,” Volstagg offered. Odin nodded and the big man stepped forward. “As Thor lay unconscious, surrounded by Svartálfar magic users, separated from Mjölnir, we had little hope of reaching him before the enemy finished him off. Mjölnir answered Loki’s need; Loki was able to wield the mystic hammer and destroy many of the enemy and then use it to destroy, with the Man of Iron’s help, their leader.”

Shock rippled through the hall as everyone digested that news. Thor’s expression shifted from shock to joy. “I see,” Odin said. “That is momentous, indeed. Will anyone else speak for Loki?” he asked.

… …

“I will speak for Prince Loki,” a gravelly voice boomed from the back of the Hall. Tony looked toward the sound and saw the gold helm worn by Heimdall moving down the hastily created aisle. The man…god himself came fully into view a moment later. He stepped up to the spot they’d just vacated and bowed to Odin. “My liege, you tasked me with watching over Loki as he recovered from his injuries on Midgard.”

“I did, indeed. What did you observe that you wish to share with the Tribunal?” Odin asked.

“I saw a man who grew in honor; a man who came to value those he previously saw as lesser beings; a man who has learned both to have and to be a friend; a man who has learned to love without expectation of being loved in return; a man who puts another’s welfare above his own. I saw a man who changed, decidedly for the better. I now see a man who is deserving of being a Prince of Asgard.”

“Wow,” Tony whispered in Kara’s ear. She glanced up at him and nodded. “Go, anti-Claus.” He heard a clunking sound and looked down to where she had elbowed him. “You’re going to get bruised inside that armor if you keep hitting me, you know.”

“Hush,” she whispered back as Odin asked if there was anyone else who wanted to speak, but received no further response.

“Very well, comments are hereby closed. Sentencing is now in the hands of the Tribunal,” Odin declared.

They watched quietly as Odin called for other business and several people came up to petition him or to present items to him or the other Sovereigns on the dais. Tony was getting antsy and stared around the Hall, looking to see if there was any way they could get Loki out of there if sentencing went south. “Shit. There’s no damn way,” he groused quietly. He looked at Loki who was standing stiffly, staring at the floor, his face set in a pained grimace. Hogun was ignored as he tried to talk to Loki. Tony wasn’t sure how Loki could ignore the guy; the novelty of the normally silent man speaking more than one or two words at a time would have caught his interest if it had been him.

“We’ll have to wait until they move him, if we have to rescue him,” Cap said. “Logistically, that’s our only chance.”

“What chance?” Kara asked. “Where are we going to take him? We can’t get out of Asgard without Odin’s help. There’s nothing we can do,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Don’t give up yet, my friends,” Fandral said. “The news of Mjölnir’s favor shocked everyone, Heimdall’s word carries much weight, and I noticed the members of the Tribunal paying close attention to your words and your images as well. All is not lost.”

“Tis true,” Volstagg rumbled. “Haakun was impressed, I could tell. I’ve hunted with him a time or three, I know his reactions.”

“Well, let’s hope for the best, then, because I don’t know what the hell we can do if they come down hard on him.” Tony said and sighed as Kara finally lost control of the tears that had been threatening since shortly after Court had begun. “Kara, hang in there. You heard Fandral. Don’t give up hope; it isn’t over until it’s over.” He frowned as Steve wrapped his arms around her. That was something he couldn’t do in the damn suit.

“We’re here for you, doc…Kara,” Steve said quietly. “We’ll find some way to fight it; they’ve got to have some kind of appeal process if they come down too hard on him.”

Hawkeye caught their attention. “I think they’ve made a decision. Haakun just brought some kind of paper over to Odin and they’re going over it,” he told them. “They’re talking in another language though, so I can’t read their lips.”

Tony looked up at the dais. Sure enough, Haakun was bowing and stepping away from Odin, leaving the king with a paper…no, that looked like real parchment, classy…or did they not have regular paper here?

… …

“Loki, born Laufeyson, now Odinson; come forward.” Loki looked up sharply. Had he heard right? He moved forward, without Hogun this time as the man was, by protocol, obliged to remain where he was. His hopes rose, slightly. Surely Odin addressing him as ‘now Odinson’ was a good sign? “Crown Prince Helblindi Laufeyson of Jötunheim; come forward.” Or perhaps it was not. He bowed and saw his half-brother do the same. “Prince Helblindi, do you contest the dismissal of charges in the death of your king and father?”

“I do not. My council has confirmed that succession has historically been accomplished through assassination or by outright challenge of the king. However, in light of the other charges, I do insist that my half-brother confirm that he abdicates his right to the throne of Jötunheim in this public gathering and that he do so again at a similar gathering in my realm.”

Loki nodded. He didn’t have much problem with that. “I do abdicate any right to the throne of Jötunheim until and unless the throne breaks its treaties and accords with Asgard. Should such happen, my abdication will be null and void. I will gladly repeat this to the people of Jötunheim, subject to a guarantee that I may come to do so without conflict and then leave safely.”

Helblindi nodded. “Agreed, brother. You may bring whatever guards you wish should you doubt my ability to keep my word on this.”

“Loki will bring whatever guards _I_ wish to ensure he does only what he is instructed to do and no more,” Odin interjected.

Biting back a smirk, Loki bowed his agreement; out of the corner of his eye he noted that his half-brother did the same. “As you command, my liege,” he said.

 “In the matter of the unprovoked attack on Jötunheim, we are prepared to announce sentencing. Prince Helblindi, the Tribunal has agreed to your terms for this.” Loki frowned as Helblindi bowed again and stepped back. “Loki, you are hereby sentenced, with your powers otherwise bound, to use the Casket of Ancient Winters to restore the ice fields in Jötunheim to repair the damage your rash act has caused. You are also sentenced to surrender access to your personal fortune to pay restitution in goods to replace those destroyed by your acts there. What say you?”

“I will do all of this and gladly, All-Father,” he managed. He looked over to his half-brother, who bowed again with what looked to be a pleased expression.

“In the matter of your actions on Midgard, the charges against you for the incident in their state of New Mexico are dismissed as regardless of intent, you provided Thor with the means to prove worthy of redemption. For the incident related to the invasion, you are sentenced as follows: First, your powers will be bound for the span of one hundred and ten cycles; one cycle for each mortal life for which you are personally responsible, one cycle for each mortal whom you controlled, and three cycles in restitution for the property damage that occurred. During this period, you will be required to reside primarily on Midgard, and assist the Avengers in defense of their world and people from any and all who threaten it.”

Loki frowned. “With all due respect, my liege, how am I to defend anyone from anything with my powers bound?”

“The key to the binding of your powers will be in the possession of a suitable Midgardian who will act as your gaoler, and who will release your powers to you in times of need and who will then bind them again when the crisis has passed.”

A Midgardian? Loki tried to imagine what Midgardian could possibly handle the power needed to do such a thing. His eyes widened as Odin turned and looked toward the Avengers. “Kara,” he breathed.

“Kara Gunnarssen, known as Hellbringer; come forward,” Odin asked. She stepped forward, her expression confused and wary.

… …

Tony’s eyes widened. Oh shit. Seriously? He frowned trying to think of anybody else who might be able to handle this magic garbage. Hmm, no one affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D. could do it, and while he’d heard good things about one of the mutant groups, he didn’t know any of them personally and S.H.I.E.L.D. sure as hell didn’t trust them. “Yes, your majesty?” Kara asked as she moved back into the spot they’d occupied before.

“We are minded to give you the key to control the bindings on Loki’s power. You are the only Midgardian whose honor we trust that is capable of channeling the power this requires. Will you accept this task?”

She gasped and looked back toward them. Tony nodded at her. Turning back to face Odin she took a deep breath before speaking. “How long is a ‘cycle’ in Midgard terms?” she asked.

“One of your years. Time runs differently in each of the other eight realms and is…undependable to measure as our seasons are not governed by the movements of a planetary body. We find it convenient to measure time, when we must, by your years.”

“Oh; so that’s one hundred and ten years then. Well, I would agree but there are a few things that would keep me from properly discharging that duty,” she said.

“Such as?”

Tony could hear the smile in her voice when she spoke again. “First, I’m dying. I have a year to live on the outside. Then what will happen?”

Odin’s eyebrow rose and one corner of his mouth turned up in a definite smirk. “Lady Eir, is this true?” Odin asked their goddess of Healing. Oh boy, Kara was going to be pissed.

“Not at all my liege,” Eir responded. “We treated Lady Kara’s illness when she was brought to us, she is quite healthy.”

“I-I thought you treated my migraine,” Kara said, obviously confused.

“Yes, my lady. In Asgard we do not treat symptoms without treating the cause. It is a waste of effort.”

Tony pressed his lips together as Kara’s gauntleted hands fisted. Oh boy. He glanced over at Loki in time to catch him with his mouth hanging open in shock. “I-I see. So my nervous system damage is completely healed?”

“Of course.”

“Hmm. It would have been nice if _someone_ had mentioned it to me.” Tony flinched at her pissy tone. They were **_so_** not going to tell her that they’d already known about this but had been sworn to secrecy…no way in _hell_. “Okay, so, that’s one of the issues resolved. However, we still have a problem. I’m mortal. I’ll be too old to do this in maybe thirty years at the outside and I’ll likely be dead of old age in twice that. That leaves you with a whole lot of years with no gaoler.”

Odin smiled. “The binding of the key to Loki’s power to you would have physical benefits. Your aging will slow to match his. That effect would be permanent, I’m afraid. If you wish to remain fully mortal, to eventually die of old age, I can see how that would be a problem.”

Score! Tony thought. “Oh,” Kara said. “Um, not really, I guess.”

“Are there any other issues?” Odin asked.

“I have an issue with the choice, my liege,” Haakun said. Odin nodded to the councilor. “What is to prevent Loki from killing her while the power has been loosed to him and then retaining it?”

“I would never do her harm!” Loki shouted. “I have given my word on that.” Odin glowered at him. “This is not part of defense or character statements, All-Father. My forfeiture of defense does not take away my right to speak during sentencing.”

Odin sighed. “True.” He turned back to Haakun. “The ritual I intend shall bind them _fully_. If she dies, so shall he.” Tony glanced at Loki to see how he was taking this. Yep, shocked…wait…pleased? Huh?

“No,” Kara said. “That’s not fair. I’m human and not particularly durable; even if you do extend my lifespan, I could get killed some other way and it wouldn’t be fair for Loki to lose his life if I manage to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Kara, let it go,” Loki hissed.

“Then it shall behoove him to see that you are well protected. This is not negotiable, Hellbringer,” Odin told her sternly.

“But it’s not…”

“Damnation, woman, it is _fine_ , please just agree,” Loki grated. Wow, the Lokester had _his_ puppy dog expression beat by miles, Tony thought. “Kara, I am happy to accept this, I swear to you,” Loki continued.

She sighed, lifted her hands in frustrated surrender and turned to them. “Guys, since only Nat and Bruce stayed home we’ve got a quorum here. Is it okay with the three of you? You’re the ones who had to fight him before, can you deal with Loki working with you and being around all the time?”

Cap looked at him and Clint. “I’m fine with it, Clint, will you be okay?”

“Yeah, sure. It’ll save us a lot of trouble,” he said as he glanced around the room with a smirk.

“Tony, you’re okay with it, right?” Tony rolled his eyes and nodded. Cap looked back at Kara. “It’s fine with us, so that makes it your call since you’ll be the one with the responsibility.”

“Thanks, Steve, guys.” She turned to face Odin. “Okay, I accept. Now what?”

That sneaky son of a bitch was smirking full out now. No, not Loki, Odin. What. The. Hell. Tony nudged Sif. “What’s going on?” he whispered.

She shrugged. “I-I’m not certain, but our queen seems pleased.”

No shit. Frigga was positively beaming. Thor was still frowning, so he hadn’t been clued in on anything, but Loki? Tony seriously doubted Bambi had known going in what was going to happen, but it was apparent he’d figured it out. “Okay, I guess we wait.”

“Loki, born Laufeyson, now Odinson, Kara Gunnarssen, known as Hellbringer; come forward,” Odin ordered.

Tony watched as Loki moved to the center of the area in front of the dais and held out a hand for Kara. She took it and he guided her up to the step just below Odin’s level. “Remove the gauntlets, love,” he heard Loki whisper. Kara tugged them off and looked around for a place to put them. Loki held out his free hand for them and then tossed them to Hogun.

Odin looked down at the two of them, and then nodded at Eir. The healer stepped forward holding an ornate goblet. “To key Loki’s bound powers into your keeping, we will need a bit of your blood…and his,” she said as she stopped in front of Kara and held out a small knife. Loki reached for the knife, nicked Kara’s thumb and let a few drops of her blood drip into the goblet, then added a few drops of his own. Once finished he handed the knife back to Eir who touched each of their thumbs briefly then stepped back and held the goblet up to Odin.

The old god held one hand over the goblet and a golden glow emerged and then changed into a mist-like form that seemed to rain down into its bowl. Frigga stepped up to him holding a fancy pitcher and poured liquid that looked like the mead they’d been served at meals into it to join the blood and the golden mist. Odin swirled it around then looked back down at Loki. “Loki,” he began. “Do you agree to be bound to this woman, Kara, now and forever?”

“I agree,” Loki said. Tony couldn’t see his face, but he could hear the smugness in his voice…and why the hell did this seem so…son of a bitch. He nudged Sif who was staring at the dais, her mouth hanging open. Thor looked similarly surprised, but his open mouthed gawking turned into a huge grin as Tony watched.

“Kara, do you agree to be bound to this man, Loki, now and forever?” Odin asked.

“Holy shit, Kara, don’t argue,” Tony muttered as Kara frowned at Odin and then gave Loki a questioning look. Loki nodded at her, and now Tony could see the slight but very smug smile on the pain in the ass’s face.

Kara sighed and looked back at Odin. “Yes, I agree,” she finally said.

Odin nodded and held the goblet out to Loki who took it and sipped from it before handing it to Kara. “You’ll need to finish it all, my lady,” Eir said from the side. “That is what will allow you to hold the key.”

Nodding, Kara drank the remainder of the liquid. Loki took the goblet back from her and handed it to Odin, smug grin still in place. “The bond is complete,” Odin announced. “Court is ended. We shall gather again this evening to begin the celebratory feasting!”

Tony shook his head as the populace erupted in cheers. Thor was grinning like an idiot. Son of a bitch. “Tony?” Steve asked. “Did they just, uh…”

“Pepper dragged me to one of her friends’ pagan wedding, if I’m remembering it all correctly, yeah, they did.”

“Geez. I don’t think Kara knows.”

“Me either. We are going to see some fireworks and our boy Loki is going to be couch man.”

… …

Kara stared at Odin. What the hell? Who celebrates their son’s, well, adopted son’s sentencing for crimes with a feast? Thor came bounding over to them, pulled them both into an all but crushing embrace and bellowed “Congratulations, brother!”

“Thor, you’re going to hurt Kara, ease up,” Loki groused.

“Oh, sorry, my lady. This is such a glad happening!”

“Welcome to the family, my dear,” Frigga said from behind Thor’s bulk.

“What?” She frowned at Loki who wore a smile worthy of a cat who’d gotten the canary. “Loki, you’d better start talking, now. I’m getting pissed.”

He chuckled. “Are you getting dizzy at all, love?” he asked.

“Should I be?”

“Ah…Eir, she should be, yes?”

“She will be shortly,” Eir confirmed. “Perhaps you’d best take her back to your chambers so that she may rest until the feast while her body adjusts.”

“ _Perhaps_ someone should explain to me just what the hell happened that everybody but me seems to know about,” she grated as she saw the guys coming towards them with ear to ear grins. Thor’s friends were close behind and they were also smiling suspiciously.

“Congratulations, my brother.” Kara looked back at the owner of the sharp voice that did not belong to Thor. Oh, Prince Helblindi. The Jötunn crown prince towered over all of them. The top of his head was about even with the top of Odin’s helm though the king still stood another step higher. “I have heard much of your lady’s power. She is a fitting bride for the son of two kings.”

Bride? “Bride? **_Loki!_** ”

The damned man was still smiling. “Yes, love?”

“If you don’t start explaining, you’re going to have to deal with everyone seeing you curled up on the ground screaming in terror. You’ve got three seconds.”

“Ah, don’t be hasty, Kara. I’ll explain. Ah…” she frowned at his suddenly nervous look.

“You have won yourself a fine wife, Loki,” she heard Heimdall rumble from the aisle. Her jaw dropped as the light bulb finally flared into life.

“Did you…did we…holy crap. Damn it, Loki. Did you know about this?” she demanded.

“Not until it was happening, love, I swear. Aren’t you happy?”

She sighed at his confused expression and noted the thread of hurt crawling through him. “Of course I am. I just would have appreciated knowing what the hell was going on. I mean…getting married is a big deal. It…I guess I…oh God,” she said as the room started to sway around her.

“Kara, are you…”

… …

“…feeling dizzy?” Loki asked his new wife just before she began to collapse. He caught her and swung her up in his arms. “Good timing,” he muttered as Thor frowned. “Hopefully by the time she’s recovered she won’t be so terribly upset.”

Odin chuckled from above them. “Blame it on me, son. I was quite deliberately vague as to my intent.”

“So you were…father.” He frowned and sighed. “Thank you. I will do my best to be worthy of the chance you have given me.”

“You were already worthy, Loki. You have proved that to us all. Go, take your wife to your chambers and let her rest. We’ll understand if you arrive late at the feast…it will go on to all hours tonight, we have much to celebrate between a great victory, a new alliance with Midgard’s greatest heroes, reaffirming alliances with many of the other realms, and your wedding.”

“I’ll try not to dawdle too much. She’s missed knowing about the ceremony in advance, if she misses her wedding feast I shall never hear the end of it.” He grinned and carried Kara from the hall as laughter and congratulations followed them.

“Hey, Ice Man, where the hell are you going with my sister?”

Loki rolled his eyes. Stark was going to regret that…again. “Anthony, are you a glutton for punishment?”

The man shrugged. “I decided it would be easier to deal with Jarvis calling me Anthony than to give up the nicknames. Seriously, what the hell? You people don’t ask a girl’s family for permission to marry her?”

“Technically, Kara was asked and she did ask all of you. If that wasn’t enough, blame Odin. The father of the groom is responsible for such things, not the groom himself.”

“Oh, so _now_ you’re claiming him. Convenient.”

“He’s claimed me, Tony. Even after all I’ve done.”

“Yeah, he sure did, Lokes.” Tony shook his head with a smile. “So, why did she pass out?”

“Hmm? Oh, the elixir, it, well, in addition to binding us together, it is, hmm. Reworking her, well, everything just a bit. That’s what will make her as immortal as I am.”

“Well, shit. I wasn’t imagining that part, then?”

“No. I won’t have to watch her grow old and die.” He frowned. “Though we will have to stand by and watch it happening to all of you. I’m sure she won’t be too pleased about that.”

“She’ll have you. You’ll help her through it. So, how long will she be out?”

“A few hours, I think. She should be fine by early evening if not sooner. Her nervous system is already advanced enough and that is usually the most dangerous part of this process.”

“Dangerous? Wait…nobody said it would be dangerous for her. I would have remembered that.”

“Because it is not. As I said, the dangerous part would be the adjustment of the nervous system and hers needs no adjusting. Don’t worry, Tony. Would I risk her life for something so selfish?”

“Definitely not. All right, keep us posted, ‘kay?”

“I’ll send word as soon as I know more. And Tony? Thank you. You are a good friend.”

“Damn straight, I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finishes 'The Broken God', Part 1 of 'Fire and Ice'. The story is continued in Part 2, 'Bride and Punishment' by KieraPSI.


End file.
